A 56-year-old police station officer in Basti allegedly died by suicide after becoming the target of a honeytrap and blackmail operation, with police claiming that a woman and her associates had demanded ₹1 crore from him.
Police on Sunday arrested the woman, her father and a lawyer in connection with the case and sent all three to judicial custody.
The deceased, Suryaprakash Singh, was the station officer of Walterganj police station. Originally from Bhilampur Chhapra village in Azamgarh, Singh had around four years left before retirement. He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.
Singh had been transferred to Basti from Siddharthnagar and was initially posted to the police lines before taking charge as Walterganj SO on April 18, 2026.
On August 29, Singh was found hanging at his government accommodation near the district collectorate.
Before his death, he had reportedly posted a WhatsApp status on his personal mobile number that read: “Wealth and property are necessary, but nothing is greater than peace and love.”
According to DIG Sanjeev Tyagi, police arrested Priyanka Chaudhary, 32, her father Ramnayan Chaudhary and lawyer Vijay Prakash outside Sadar Hospital on Sunday.
Police said the arrests followed questioning of Singh’s family members, surveillance and analysis of call detail records, which allegedly established contact between Singh and the three accused.
Investigators allege that Vijay Prakash was involved in collecting money obtained through the suspected blackmail operation. Police have recovered a Bolero vehicle and three mobile phones from the accused.
Police said Priyanka, a resident of Gandhar in the Walterganj area, had been living separately from her husband for around 10 years. She had reportedly worked at beauty parlours and spa centres in Mumbai.
According to investigators, Priyanka allegedly developed relationships with financially well-off men before recording their audio, video calls and private conversations. Police allege that she subsequently used the material to threaten and blackmail them for money.
Investigators also claimed that she maintained contact with her alleged targets through WhatsApp chats and video calls. Police said she would sometimes attempt to intimidate them by making video calls in which she appeared to cut her wrist, allegedly creating fear that she might harm herself if her demands were not met.
According to police, her father Ramnayan and lawyer Vijay Prakash allegedly helped her collect the money. Investigators suspect that the proceeds were shared among the three.
During the probe, police reportedly found that the accused had allegedly collected around ₹24 lakh from three other individuals, one of whom was a doctor. Police are now investigating whether more people were allegedly targeted or blackmailed by the group.
Investigators said Priyanka lived within the Walterganj police station limits and had approached Singh in connection with a case she had filed against her husband. During their interactions, the two reportedly became acquainted and later developed a close relationship. Police allege that Priyanka subsequently began blackmailing Singh.
According to the police investigation, on August 29, the day Singh died, lawyer Vijay Prakash spoke to him over the phone at around 1.41pm and allegedly demanded ₹1 crore.
Police said Singh was unable to arrange the money and died by suicide before making the payment.
The investigation is continuing to establish the complete sequence of events, trace the alleged financial transactions and determine the extent of the accused’s involvement in the suspected blackmail network.
Singh’s son, Sandeep Singh, has demanded strict punishment for those responsible for his father’s death.
