Udupi: The Udupi City Police have registered two additional criminal cases against a 41-year-old woman, identified as Zeenath, who is already under arrest in an earlier cheating and blackmail case. The fresh complaints involve allegations of financial fraud, criminal intimidation and blackmail, with the complainants claiming losses amounting to several lakh rupees.

Police said the new cases were registered after additional victims came forward following media coverage of an earlier case filed on July 2 under Crime No. 79/2026.

Manipal resident alleges cheating over promised loan

According to police, the first complaint was lodged on July 8 by a resident of Manipal.

The complainant alleged that in 2020, Zeenath approached him claiming that she urgently required Rs 50 lakh. She allegedly told him that she was expecting a Rs 2-crore loan under a minority welfare scheme and assured him that she would return both the money and the pledged gold within a year.

Believing her assurances, the complainant pledged around 148 grams of gold, valued at approximately Rs 22 lakh, with Sudheendra Finance during August and October 2020. He also allegedly handed over Rs 4.36 lakh in cash to Zeenath.

The complaint states that Geetha Rao was present during the transaction.

According to the complainant, Zeenath initially paid the loan instalments for nearly one-and-a-half years before defaulting. He alleged that she neither repaid the money nor returned the pledged gold.

The complainant further alleged that when he later visited her residence seeking repayment, family members verbally abused him. He also claimed that Zeenath and her brother’s wife threatened to kill him if he approached the police.

Based on the complaint, the Udupi City Police registered Crime No. 86/2026 under Sections 316(2), 318(4), 352, 351(2) read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The investigation is ongoing.

Second complaint alleges blackmail and extortion

On the same day, another complaint was filed by a resident of Bannanje in Udupi, alleging blackmail and extortion.

The complainant stated that he operated a Modicare stock point at Mahamaya Complex in Udupi between 2018 and 2022, during which he became acquainted with Zeenath and Geetha Rao.

According to the complaint, Zeenath allegedly recorded a video of him on the pretext of taking a selfie at the Modicare office.

He alleged that she later threatened to make the video viral and file a rape complaint against him unless he paid her money.

The complainant claimed that Zeenath collected Rs 36.84 lakh from him in instalments through blackmail.

He further alleged that Geetha Rao also threatened and blackmailed him, obtaining Rs 15 lakh, besides taking gold ornaments and certain bank cheques.

Based on these allegations, police registered Crime No. 88/2026 under Sections 308(6), 318(4) and Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Investigation underway

Police said both FIRs have been registered based on the complaints received, and investigations are currently in progress.

Officials are examining the allegations and gathering evidence related to the financial transactions and the alleged acts of intimidation and blackmail.

The registration of the cases follows the earlier arrest of Zeenath in connection with another cheating and blackmail case. Authorities indicated that further legal action will depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigations.

As the matter is under investigation, the allegations made in the complaints are yet to be established before a court of law.