Malappuram, 11 May (H.S.): Three persons, including the owner of a massage centre and two female employees, have been arrested for allegedly attempting to honey-trap a customer and robbing him of his gold chain, cash, and motorcycle in Kerala’s Malappuram district.

The accused were identified as Saud (36), a native of Thiruvananthapuram and owner of Aura Wellness Centre at Ettarikkadavu in Tirur, and employees Jayanthi (39) from Kottayam and Veena (39) from Ochira. Police said a separate case has also been registered against the complainant for allegedly misbehaving with women employees at the massage centre.

According to the police, the incident occurred around 8 p.m. on Saturday when Manoj, a resident of Karimpana in South Kuttur under Thalakkad, visited the Ayurvedic massage centre for treatment. After paying Rs 1,500 for the massage, he was allegedly asked to change his clothes before the session began.

The complainant alleged that soon after changing clothes, the accused secretly photographed him and demanded Rs 2 lakh along with his signature on blank papers, threatening to misuse the images. When he refused to comply, the accused allegedly snatched his one-and-a-half sovereign gold chain, Rs 28,500 in cash from his wallet, a power bank, and his motorcycle. They also allegedly attempted to remove a ring from his finger.

Manoj later sought treatment at the Tirur District Hospital after sustaining injuries during the alleged assault and subsequently filed a police complaint.

Police said the arrested prime accused, Saud, is involved in around ten criminal cases. The stolen gold chain and motorcycle were reportedly recovered from his possession. Further investigation into the incident is underway.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman