Kharagpur Police Bust Gang Using Social Media to Blackmail Young Men

West Medinipur: In a strong move to enhance road safety across the district, the West Medinipur District Traffic Police has initiated the ‘Special Road Safety Week 2026’ under the guidance of the Government of West Bengal. The week-long campaign aims to spread traffic awareness and encourage safe driving habits.

As part of the initiative, traffic awareness camps and quiz competitions are being conducted in 19 schools and colleges located under the district’s 19 Traffic Guards (TG) and Sub-Traffic Guards (STG). These events target young students to build their understanding and respect for traffic rules.

The campaign also introduced three innovative measures to improve compliance with traffic safety norms:

1. Traffic Awareness Pledge Wall
   Special pledge walls have been installed at key points in the district where pedestrians and motorists, especially habitual rule-breakers, can sign their commitment. This pledge serves as both a legal and moral promise to wear helmets and fasten seatbelts while on the road.
2. Live ‘Thank You’ Campaign
   Traffic police personnel are actively greeting motorcyclists who wear helmets properly and drivers who buckle up with seatbelts at traffic signals by offering them roses as a token of appreciation. This positive reinforcement encourages good behavior among road users.
3. ‘Traffic Bondhu’ Recognition
   Bus, truck, and auto-rickshaw drivers who have maintained spotless records without traffic violations throughout the year will be identified and honored on the final day of the campaign. This recognition highlights the importance of responsible driving in reducing accidents.

The West Medinipur District Traffic Police emphasized that road safety is a shared responsibility. They urged citizens to follow traffic rules consistently to help create a safer, accident-free enKharagpur, West Midnapore : In a major breakthrough, the Kharagpur Town Police have arrested seven people, including two women, who ran a honey trap gang that extorted large sums of money from young men. The gang lured victims through social media and secret dating apps, tricking them into private meetings where videos were secretly recorded.

According to police officials, the gang created fake profiles to befriend young men online. After gaining their trust through romantic chats, the accused invited them to a secluded house under the pretext of meeting in person. Once the victims arrived, hidden cameras captured private moments without their knowledge.

Soon after, other gang members appeared, pretending to be the woman’s relatives. They pressured the victims to pay thousands to lakhs of rupees by threatening to release the videos on social media and falsely implicate them in legal cases. Many victims were also forced to sign written apologies on stamp paper, to prevent them from going to the police.

“This gang used clever tactics to trap innocent young men, causing them great mental distress and fear of social shame,” according to reports.
Preliminary inquiries suggest the gang had been operating for a long time and may have targeted many others across districts or states. Police are currently examining mobile phones, bank accounts, and digital transactions of the accused to gather further evidence. Continuous raids are underway to catch additional suspects who are still absconding.

The Kharagpur police have appealed to the public to be cautious when interacting with strangers online and warned against falling prey to such traps. They urged anyone facing similar blackmail attempts to report immediately without hesitation.

All seven accused were presented in court and remanded to five days’ police custody for further investigation.