Alappuzha: Eloor Police arrested three persons on Saturday for extorting Rs 2 lakh from a man, who had sent obscene messages to a woman after viewing her Instagram reels. Those in custody are Jessy, a native of Alappuzha, Abhijith from Aluva and Salman from Nilambur.

The series of events began when Jessy posted a movie-related reel on her Instagram account. A man from Muvattupuzha, then responded to it with obscene messages. Jessy subsequently filed a complaint with the Eloor Police on Friday. The police did not register a case stating there was no legal provision as the alleged obscene text was sent as a private message. The police, however, filed a report in the court.  

Following this, Jessy and her associates contacted the man’s family, demanding Rs 20 lakh to drop the case. After negotiations, they settled on Rs 5 lakh. The family paid Rs 2 lakh and was arranging the remaining when the the youth alerted the police.
The cops arrested the trio. "According to the trio, the extorted money was intended for a movie-related requirement. The accused were presented before the court and remanded," said police.