India, March 27 -- New Delhi

A 44-year-old woman and her male accomplice, also aged 44, were arrested by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch for allegedly extorting men by threatening to file false cases of rape and sexual assault over the past 12 years, officers aware of the matter said on Thursday.

The woman used to befriend men through social media platforms under various pretexts and later threatened them for payouts. The accomplice, identified as Yashdev Singh Chauhan, posed as an advocate to resolve disputes and finalise financial settlements, officers said. The woman was found to have filed at least nine such cases across multiple police stations in Delhi, police said. The police withheld the identity of the woman.

The arrests on We...