(Image source from: Canva.com)
A teacher from Bengaluru has been taken into custody for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from a student's parent, with whom she had an illicit relationship. The Central Crime Branch apprehended 25-year-old Sridevi Rudagi along with two accomplices, 38-year-old Ganesh Kale and 28-year-old Sagar, for reportedly extorting Rs 4 lakh from a parent known by the pseudonym Satish. They also allegedly blackmailed him for an additional Rs 20 lakh, threatening to reveal sensitive photos and videos of their encounters.
According to law enforcement, Satish, a trader residing in a western Bengaluru area with his wife and three daughters, enrolled his youngest child, a five-year-old, in the school in 2023. He met Rudagi during the admission process, after which she maintained contact, leading to a series of messages and video calls via a different SIM card and phone. Ultimately, their interactions crossed personal boundaries.
Rudagi is said to have extorted Rs 4 lakh from Satish. In January, she escalated her demands to Rs 15 lakh. As he was hesitant, she showed up at his residence under the pretense of needing to borrow Rs 50,000. As his business encountered troubles, Satish made the tough choice to move his family to Gujarat, for which he needed the child's Transfer Certificate. During this time in early March, the troubling situation unfolded.
Upon his arrival at the school, he found himself trapped in Rudagi's office, accompanied by Kale and Sagar. They presented him with the private photos and videos, then insisted on receiving Rs 20 lakh or they would send the material to his family. Satish attempted to negotiate, eventually agreeing to a reduced payment of Rs 15 lakh, starting with an initial deposit of Rs 1.9 lakh. However, the demands persisted.
On March 17, Rudagi contacted him to remind him of the outstanding payments, specifying Rs 5 lakh for a supposed former police officer, and Rs 1 lakh each for Sagar and Kale, with the remaining Rs 8 lakh owed to her. In response, Satish reached out to the police, who quickly determined that the police officer had no involvement. Consequently, Rudagi, Sagar, and Kale were arrested and placed in judicial custody for a duration of 14 days.
