In a follow-up to an earlier report by mid-day on the extortion of a tarot card reader, Mumbai Police have arrested four more persons, including two women, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six. The women were allegedly operating an NGO while posing as social workers. The other accused includes a retired Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Mumbai Police and a journalist associated with a Hindi daily.

Extortion plot

According to police, the 40-year-old complainant, a tarot card reader, was called to a villa at Royal Palm in Aarey Colony on February 15 under the pretext of conducting a session for friends. On arrival, she was allegedly threatened by four men and two women, who warned they would implicate her in false prostitution and drug smuggling cases if she did not pay Rs 5 lakh. Under pressure, she transferred Rs 2 lakh online before approaching the Aarey police to lodge a complaint. A case was registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).