When Suppressed Become Suppressors: How Influencer Kirti Patel & Journalist Shazia Nisar Fall from Grace
While the #MeToo movement and casting couch revelations once gave voice to countless women silenced by fear and exploitation, a disturbing new trend, which will reel our head, is beginning to emerge -- one where the very tools of justice are allegedly being weaponized for personal gain by those who have been oppressed so far.
What is honey trapping and how Kirti Patel used it ?
Honey trapping is a tool where someone often using charm or romance tricks another person. The victim gets into a situation which can later be used to trap or blackmail the victims. In such cases, a person is falsely made to believe they are in a romantic relationship but later they are threatened with photos, videos or false complaints and eventually the sufferers cough up money or do what the one using it as a trap dictates.
Kirti is accused of honey trapping a builder and later demanding a ransom of 2 crores from him. In June 2024, an FIR was registered against 5 people, and out of those, 4 accused were arrested while Kirti Patel was on the run for the last 10 months. Now, she had been arrested based on the warrant issued by a court.
The popular Instagram influencer with 1.3 million followers is accused of honey trapping the builder and demanding ₹2 crore as ransom. Interestingly, she regularly posted on Instagram during this time.
In these 10 months, she kept changing her locations constantly, and she was traced in different parts of Gujarat. The IP address kept changing and she used many phone numbers and SIM cards. Besides, Kirti is also facing other complaints, including land grabbing and many more extortion cases.
What has Journalist Shazia Nisar done?
On June 10, Noida Police arrested two journalists -- Shazia Nisar, a former anchor at Bharat24, and Adarsh Jha, a digital journalist -- on charges of blackmail and extortion. The arrests were made following a complaint by 75-year-old Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat24 news channel Jagdish Chandra.
Mr Chandra alleged that Shazia, with the help of her accomplice, extorted over ₹2.26 crore from him and attempted to demand ₹65 crore more through threats of filing a false rape case.
As per the FIR registered by the Noida Police, Mr Chandra claimed that Shazia had been employed with the channel since 2022. Over time, she allegedly began pressuring him with threats to falsely accuse him of rape. She threatened to take her own life unless Mr Chandra paid a hefty sum of ₹65 crore.
Mr Chandra further alleged that between 2022 and 2024, he had already transferred ₹2.26 crore to her through multiple cheques. He claimed that he has recordings and other evidence to back his claims.
So, the suppressed are now suppressors:
These two cases highlight a disturbing side to the plight of gendered oppression. While movements like #MeToo were meant to empower the voiceless and bring justice to survivors, these incidents raise difficult questions about misuse of that very empowerment.
While actual victims continue to struggle for justice, these cases not only shake public trust but also threaten to undermine the progress made in addressing real cases of abuse and exploitation.
These cases don't just expose individual acts of alleged deceit -- they risk casting a long, damaging shadow over genuine survivors of exploitation. When serious accusations like rape or harassment are used as tools for personal gain, they have a negative effect too.
Women who are truly suffering in silence -- many of whom already struggle to be believed -- may now face even greater suspicion and judgment.
The fear of being dismissed as manipulators could prevent real victims from coming forward, reinforcing their isolation. At the same time, this lack of trust could embolden actual perpetrators, who might now find it easy to dismiss genuine complaints as baseless or fabricated.
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