Jagatsinghpur/Bhubaneswar, May 16: Jagatsinghpur Police arrested two youths from Bhubaneswar’s Khandagiri area on charges of allegedly trapping a young woman through Instagram friendship, sexually exploiting her and blackmailing her using objectionable videos, a source said Saturday.

Both accused persons would be produced before a court today, the police informed.

According to police, the two accused youths, who are residents of Jagatsinghpur and were staying in Khandagiri, had first contacted the victim through Instagram messages.

The cops said the accused gradually lured the woman into a relationship and later established physical relations with her. They allegedly recorded videos of the intimate acts and used them to blackmail both the victim and her family members.

Police further said the accused repeatedly raped the woman and that she reportedly suffered a miscarriage once during the course of the alleged exploitation.

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Unable to bear the harassment, the victim later approached Jagatsinghpur Police and lodged a complaint.

Considering the sensitive nature of the case, police immediately registered a case and launched an investigation. Acting on technical surveillance inputs, a police team comprising Jagatsinghpur SDPO, IIC of Jagatsinghpur police station, traced and apprehended the two accused from the Khandagiri area of Bhubaneswar.

Jagatsinghpur SP Ankit Kumar Verma said the accused were currently unemployed.

Police also seized an Apple iPhone worth around Rs 1.30 lakh and a 'Nothing' Android smartphone from the accused persons.

According to the SP, the accused had allegedly extorted more than Rs 2 lakh from the victim’s family members through blackmail.

This story is compiled by Manisha Dhal.