Bengaluru Driver Arrested for Plotting Rs 1.09 Crore Kidnapping of Businessman
The Bengaluru city police have arrested five individuals, including a personal car driver, for allegedly orchestrating the staged kidnapping and robbery of a businessman of Rs 1.09 crore near the Ganesha Temple in Kuduregere Colony.
The incident, which took place between June 15 and June 16, led to the recovery of Rs 85 lakh in cash following an investigation by the Madanayakanahalli police. The arrested individuals have been identified as the driver, M Chethan, along with Soma, Surya, Basavana Gowda, and M Vinay.
The victim, Shiva Shankar, who runs a security agency in North Bengaluru, filed a complaint on June 16. According to the police, Shiva Shankar had collected Rs 1.09 crore in cash from three business associates from Andhra Pradesh at a hotel in Yelahanka for safekeeping.
On June 15, at around 11:05 PM, as Shiva Shankar and Chethan were returning, two men on a motorcycle staged a crash with their car near the Ganesha Temple in Kuduregere Colony. Five other men then blocked their path with another car, forced them inside, and drove them to an isolated location in Nelamangala.
To protect the Rs 74 lakh kept in the car's boot, Shiva Shankar told the kidnappers he had another Rs 35 lakh at his home. The gang forced Chethan to go to the house with armed accomplices, where Shiva Shankar's wife handed over the money. The kidnappers abandoned both men at around 5:00 AM on June 16, also stealing the Rs 74 lakh from the car.
Initially, police were skeptical of Shiva Shankar due to his involvement in an unrelated antique vessel scam case. However, after separate interrogations of the victim and the driver, investigators realized the crime was an inside job.
Call detail records revealed that Chethan had been in frequent contact with Soma, a known rowdy-sheeter. During interrogation, Soma confessed to the crime. Police stated that Chethan, who had worked for Shiva Shankar for two years, assumed his employer would not report the robbery to the police due to his past legal troubles. Chethan tipped off the gang when he realized the large sum of cash was being transported.
