Bengaluru: Four held for honey-trapping, extorting caterer of Rs 73Lakh

Bengaluru: A family of four, including a mother-daughter duo, have been arrested for honey-trapping and extorting a businessman of Rs 73.55 lakh in the city.

Baby Rani, 39, her daughter Niveditha, 23, son-in-law Manigandan, 27, and his brother Prasad Murthy, 26 have been arrested by the Nandini Layout police.

Baby Rani had faked her own death to blackmail the businessman and through her daughter had made him cough up Rs 73.55 lakh.

But the accused overreached and were caught when Rani’s associates demanded Rs 65 lakh more and the businessman, Krishna Das, a caterer from the city, approached the police. Rani had taken a loan from Das a few months ago, and soon realised that he was rich. She then decided to extort money from him and roped in the other accused.

Putting their plan into action, Rani called Das to a house in Kodigehalli on the pretext of returning the loan amount. When he arrived there, she lured him and as they were in a compromising position, Manigandan, Murthy and their associates barged into the house and told him that they were police. They threatened to book Das under a prostitution case, and a scared Das agreed to pay Rs 17 lakh to get out of the situation. In September, they called Das again and told him that Rani had been murdered and they would book him as an accused.

They even gave him a fake FIR, mentioning Rani as the deceased. They demanded Rs 36 lakh, and Das, who had no money, had to pledge his house to get them the money.

The accused hatched another plan and this time, Niveditha called him and said that she was approaching the women’s commission to file a complaint against him, saying he was behind her mother’s murder.

Das convinced her not to approach the commission and paid Rs 20 lakh. Their luck ran out when the accused, posing as policemen, again approached him and demanded Rs 65 lakh saying they had successfully hushed up the case, but have to pay the seniors and judges to close the case.

They had prepared a document to make it look like a closure report and showed it to him. Das realised that something was not right and approached the police. Based on his complaint, the police trapped the accused, including Baby Rani who had faked her death. The police have recovered Rs 11.17 lakh cash, 60 gm of gold valuables, two cars and a fake FIR that mentions Baby Rani as deceased.

Bengaluru: A 30-year-old school bus driver was found bludgeoned to death at his rented room in Peenya police limits on Tuesday morning. The deceased, Hanumanthe Gowda alias Kumar, hailed from Gadag, The Peenya police said that they found beer bottles in the room which indicated that he had partied with his friends on Monday night and later a fight might have broken out ending in his murder. The police have zeroed in on his friends and probing their involvement.
Cab driver stabbed to death: A 28-year-old cab driver was fatally stabbed by a gang of four armed men in Nagavara Palya in Byappanahalli police station limits early Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Mohan, a native of Arasikere in Hassan. The police said the incident took place while Mohan, along with his friend Sandeep, were walking home after having dinner.

According to the police, Mohan went to a shop to buy cigarette and a heated argument broke out with a group of youth over a trivial issue. The accused followed them on their bikes and tried to snatch Mohan’s mobile phone. When Mohan tried to resist, the accused stabbed him and fled. Sandeep immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
The Byappanahalli police have registered a case of robbery and murder.