The Byadarahalli police on Saturday arrested five people, including a woman, for allegedly honey-trapping and blackmailing a city-based civil contractor.

The arrested have been identified as Nayana and her associates, Mohan, Jayaraj, Santhosh and Ajay.

According to the police, the gang targeted people randomly by calling and luring them. The woman among the accused made the calls. They contacted the 52-year-old victim and called him over to her place for a date. When the contractor visited, the other gang members barged inside, claiming to be crime branch officers, and caught the victim in a compromising position.

The accused clicked pictures and made video recordings of the scene to blackmail him before extorting gold valuables and cash from the contractor. The accused took the woman along on the pretext of arresting her and escaped.

Initially, the contractor was afraid to reveal the incident, fearing that he would be exposed. Later, he discovered that it was a trap and approached the police. Based on the complaint, the police tracked down the gang and arrested them for blackmail and extortion.

The police have initiated an investigation to ascertain whether the gang was involved in similar offences.