Kidnap, assault of woman and son over extortion; 9 arrested

Bengalur, NT Bureau: The Chandra Layout police have arrested nine miscreants, including two women, for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and assault of a 40-year-old woman and her son.

The accused held the victims in wrongful confinement for four days, attempting to extort money from them over claims of stolen property.

The arrested individuals include Joseph and Srinivas alias “Pagal” Seena, known rowdysheeters; Prathap, who runs an eatery and finance business; his wife, Soumya; and others such as Jathin, Swathi, Madesha, Syed Shahbuddin, an auto driver, and Vignesh.

Shahbuddin and Vignesh have previous assault cases against them. The kidnapping stemmed from a belief that the victims had recently acquired Rs 2 lakh from selling stolen mobile phones and a gold chain.

The stolen property was allegedly linked to the son’s friends, who had initially stolen the items. The accused planned to extort money from the victims based on this supposed gain.

On August 13, the accused forcibly took the woman and her 20-yearold son to Prathap’s residence in Kengeri, where they were held until August 16.

During their captivity, the woman was subjected to sexual harassment and assault, while her son faced physical attacks. The perpetrators eventually released them when they realized the victims did not have the expected sum of money