Police have arrested a man and a woman accused of trapping a Ropar-based businessman in a “honey trap” and robbing him of gold ornaments and cash. The accused have been identified as Harjit Kaur, a resident of Himmatpura in Moga, and her accomplice Ishav Bhardwaj of Jalandhar. Both were produced before a district court, which sent them to five days of police remand.
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Kaur was arrested from Rajpura while attempting to flee to Delhi by bus while Bhardwaj was apprehended from Shimla, the police said. According to sources, Bhardwaj is originally from Kala Khedi, Kartarpur, and had shifted to Urban Estate-2, Jalandhar, about seven months ago, where he runs an immigration office. Police sources said that three cases are already registered against Harjit Kaur while one case is pending against Bhardwaj.
As per the complaint, the victim, who runs a brick kiln in Ropar, came in contact with the accused woman through Tinder, an online dating app. After chatting for a few days, they decided to meet near Jubilee Walk Market, Sector 70, Mohali. The two had coffee and later sat in the victim’s car. When the man stepped out briefly, the woman allegedly mixed an intoxicant into his coffee.
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They later proceeded towards a hotel on the Airport Road, but failing to get a room, the woman who introduced herself as Aditi (later identified as Harjit Kaur) took him to Gill Lodge. The victim reportedly lost consciousness there, after which the accused decamped with a 6.5-tola gold chain, a 5.5-tola gold kada, a 5-gram gold ring, and Rs 70,000 in cash.
Police said the woman was identified through CCTV footage from the lodge. Acting on the leads, the Mataur police conducted raids and arrested both accused early Sunday morning.