A Bengaluru pre-school teacher was arrested for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from a student’s father using their private videos.
Sridevi Rudagi (25) was arrested for blackmailing a student’s father with photos and videos of their encounters and extorting Rs 4 lakh from him. Her two associates - Ganesh Kale (38) and Sagar (28) - were also arrested in the case.
As per complaint, the victim, a businessman who lived with his wife and three daughters, met Sridevi Rudagi during the admission of her youngest - 5-year-old - daughter in the school in 2023 and she kept in touch with him.
Over time, their communication turned personal through messages and video calls on a separate phone, leading to an affair. Through this association, she obtained Rs 4 lakh from him, according to the police complaint.
Then, in January, she demanded Rs 15 lakh and and insisted that they live together. When his wife and children were away, she visited his home and borrowed Rs 50,000, the police said.
Due to business losses, the victim decided to relocate to Gujarat with his family. In the first week of March, he went to collect her daughter’s Transfer Certificate, where he was cornered by the three accused and demanded 20 lakh from him, claiming to have private videos and photos of him with Rudagi, the police said.
The police said, he then transferred Rs 1.9 lakh but they kept harassing him for more money. On March 17, Rudagi called him, demanding the remaining money. She allegedly said that Rs 5 lakh would go to the former ACP, Rs 1 lakh each to Sagar and Ganesh, and she would keep the remaining Rs 8 lakh and delete the private photos and videos.
The victim trader reached out to the police and filed a complaint after the harassment and blackmail escalated, the police said.
A senior police officer stated that the accused misused the name of the ACP and he had no involvement in the case.
The accused have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.