Bengaluru: Bizman extorted of Rs 74L by ‘Woman he murdered’

BENGALURU: A four-member family is now cooling heels behind bars for allegedly extorting Rs 75 lakh from a businessman by blackmailing him over several issues including the concocted murder of a 45-year-old woman with whom he was in touch.

The businessman had no clue that the extortion was masterminded by the "murdered" woman.

Baby Rani (39), daughter Preethi (23), her husband Manikandan alias Patel Babu (30) and his brother Prasad (26), a cabbie, all residents of Thindlu, near

Vidyaranyapura

,

north Bengaluru

, were arrested for extorting money from Krishnadas (58), a catering businessman and resident of

Nandini Layout

.

Krishnadasa and Rani, a widow, were in a relationship and she often shared with him her family problems and he financially helped her regularly. However, Rani planned to make quick bucks and hatched a plan with her family members.

In February this year, Rani called Krishnadas to her residence. While they were in a compromising position, Manikandan and Prasad, feigning to be police officials, "raided" the house. Threatening to foist a prostitution case against Krishnadas, they managed to extrot Rs 5 lakh from him.

In July, Manikandan and Prasad called Krishnadas over phone and told him that Baby Rani had been murdered and they suspected his role as her family mentioned his name in the complaint. A panicky Krishnadas sought the duo’s help to close the case and paid Rs 20 lakh. The duo made him cough up another Rs 10 lakh, claiming that higher-ups and some pro-Kannada organiaztions too had to be paid off.

In September the fake police officials called Krishnadas and told him that there were chances that the murder case might be re-opened and demanded Rs 20 lakh. Krishnadas pledged his assets and paid the same. In October, Baby Rani's daughter Preethi called Krishnadas over phone and threatened to file a complaint with Karnataka State Commission for Women against him for suppressing her mother's 'murder' case. Krishnadas again paid Rs 20 lakh to Preethi.

In November, the fake police officials again called Krishnadas and demanded Rs 65 lakh to close the case. Krishnadas suspected something fishy as the gang was repeatedly trying to cash in on the same case. He approached Nandini Layout police with a complaint, bringing the curtains down on the fraud.