BENGALURU: A 33-year-old businessman from Kengeri was robbed of Rs 2 crore in cash by six unidentified armed men during a cryptocurrency transaction in a commercial building at M S Palya on Wednesday afternoon.
The victim, Shree Harsha V, was attempting to convert the cash into USDT (a cryptocurrency) when the assailants barged into the premises, threatened everybody with knives, and fled with the money and four mobile phones after locking them inside.
According to the FIR, Harsha had borrowed the money from friends to import equipment for a proposed cold-pressed oil business. He had approached acquaintances Prakash Agarwal and Rakshith, who introduced him to a man named Benjamin. The transaction was arranged at a store in the complex, where Benjamin and his associates began counting the cash.
Around 4 pm, an hour after they gathered to count the money, six armed men entered and committed the robbery. Benjamin and his team also fled shortly after. Harsha has named Benjamin, Rakshith, and others as suspects regarding the robbery. Police are investigating possible hawala links and have registered a case under Section 310(2) of the BNS. A manhunt is underway to trace the accused.