A 41-year-old businessman and his driver in Bengaluru were allegedly abducted by a group of unidentified men and robbed of Rs 1.09 crore in cash, the police told PTI news agency. The incident occurred on June 15 within the jurisdiction of the Madanayakanahalli police station. R I Shivashankar and his driver, Chethan, were returning home in a car after collecting Rs 74 lakh from a hotel in Yelahanka following a meeting with business associates.
Also, he claimed to have kept Rs 35 lakh, collected earlier from a hotel in Kodigehalli, at his residence.
While they were on their way, their car was intercepted near Kadasanagara Colony by two vehicles, and seven unidentified men, allegedly armed with knives and beer bottles, forced them out, assaulted them and abducted them, the FIR stated.
The accused allegedly threatened to kill the duo and, after learning that Rs 35 lakh was kept at Shivashankar’s house, coerced his wife into handing over the cash, PTI reported. The assailants later released the victims.
The victims also found the Rs 74 lakh kept in the car missing, police said. The total amount allegedly robbed was Rs 1.09 crore, they added.
A case was registered against seven unidentified persons under Sections 140 (2) (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder or for ransom etc) and 310 (2) (Dacoity) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and an investigation is underway to verify the allegations and nab the culprits involved, a senior police officer said.
Women Disguise as Boys Rob Bengaluru Man
In a separate incident earlier this year, two women in Bengaluru disguised themselves as boys and broke into the house of an auto-rickshaw driver while he was away on January 13. Their actions were captured on the premises’ CCTV cameras, enabling the police to identify and arrest the accused duo, according to a media report.
Upon returning home, the auto-rickshaw driver discovered that valuable items were missing. He immediately raised an alarm, alerting neighbours and informing the police. Authorities inspected the premises and the victim filed an official complaint.
(With inputs from PTI)