8 including woman nabbed for extorting money after befriending people

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Begur police nabbed a gang of eight persons including a woman for kidnapping two persons in a bid to extort money from them by posing as policemen in the city.

Police sources told News Trail that the victims were two friends, identified as Manjunath and Rajnikanth, who had befriended a woman and were taking her to a hotel near Bannerghatta Road around 1.30 am on February 17.

While the trio was about to reach the hotel by car, six people arrived on three bikes and collided with the car. The people introduced themselves as police officers and started fighting with Manjunath and Rajnikanth accusing them of over-speeding and colliding with their bikes. Following a heated argument, the bikers overpowered the victims including the woman, and abducted them in their own car.

 However, as they were driving near Kolifarm Gate, Manjunath managed to open the car door and jump out of the running vehicle. Manjunath immediately alerted the police control room about the matter and following a probe, the accused persons were nabbed by the Begur police who also rescued Rajnikanth from them.

Later, the victims were shocked to learn that the woman they had befriended was one among the accused. The cops revealed that the woman had shared their live location to the gang. Police also said that the woman along with the accused persons had extorted money from several youths in the city following the same modus operandi. "She befriends their victims through various means and asks them to book a hotel for a 'meeting.'