LAHORE: The city police claimed to have busted another honey-trap gang allegedly involved in kidnap, torture, blackmail and extortion, and expanded the scope of the investigations to access more victims of the organised crime ring.

The issue surfaced when a milkman, Manzoor Ahmad, fell prey to the gang being operated by a policeman, that used a young girl to trap and blackmail him in Shahdara Town area.

Police sources say that the policeman, who was the gang’s ringleader, has been arrested while other suspects, including the girl, secured bails from the court.

A police official, who is privy to the matter, said that the milkman, a resident of Sheikhpura, used to earn his livelihood by supplying milk to different households.

On June 17, he said, Manzoor received a call from an unknown girl who asked him to deliver milk at her home in Barkat Town, Shahdara.

The milkman initially refused, but on the girl’s insistence, he agreed and reached a location sent by the girl on his phone. When Manzoor reached there, the girl took her to the upper portion of the house and locked the door, the police official said.

A few moments later, two unknown men, including a policeman, entered the house and accused the milkman of sexually harassing the girl.

The official said the intruders tortured him, threatened to implicate him in a criminal case and also recorded video as proof of his presence at the girl’s house.

The suspect also snatched Rs108,000 from the milkman, which he had collected from his customers, the police official said.

He said the policeman and his accomplices demanded more money from Manzoor, who requested them to give him some time to arrange the amount.

They released him on the condition that he would pay them more money and not inform police or any other person about the episode.

Next day, the girl called the milkman again and demanded more money as per the deal, the police official said. The milkman, however, reported his ordeal to the police.

As the matter came to the notice of City Division SP Bilal Ahmad, he ordered a fair inquiry, without giving any favour to the policeman, who was identified as Shahdara Town Naib Muharrar Manzar.

During the inquiry, the allegations against the suspects, including Manzar, proved true.

As per sources, the policeman was in contact with the girl and other suspects and made the plan to honey-trap the milkman to extort money from him.

SP Bilal Ahmed says that an FIR has been lodged against the policeman and other suspects operating the honey-trap gang. The case has been transferred to the investigation police for further action, he added.

Some months back, a honey-trap gang was unearthed in Kot Lakhpat area where some policemen were found involved in trapping and torturing young men to extort money from them.

During investigation, it transpired that the suspects blackmailed dozens of individuals after trapping them through young girls. The police traced the suspects and lodged a case against them after a video clip of a victim was uploaded on social media.

Known playwright Khalilur Rehman Qamar was also honey-trapped by a gang after he was lured by a young girl to a house in Bahria Town, Lahore, last year, where the suspects recorded his objectionable videos to blackmail him for money.

They were also arrested and handed down sentences by the court.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2025