BENGALURU: A 34-year-old gym trainer from Mysuru was arrested by Channapatna Town police for allegedly drugging, stripping and assaulting a KAS officer working in Bengaluru South district.
The gym trainer, who is also a rowdy sheeter, along with his two associates had taken objectionable videos of the government officer and demanded Rs 10 lakh to delete the videos. The incident happened on June 29 at the victim’s residence and a complaint was filed on July 1.
The arrested is identified as Anush Shivappa, a native of Chamarajanagar district. He has a rowdy sheet opened against him at the Vijayanagar Police Station in Mysuru and is facing multiple criminal cases, including assault.
He was arrested based on a complaint filed by BN Girish, a 2017 batch KAS officer. Along with Anush, the KAS officer has also filed the complaint against the former’s associates Shobharaj and Naveen.
According to the complainant, the accused had also robbed him of his gold ornaments worth around Rs 1.7 lakh. Girish became acquainted through Facebook with Anush, who claimed to be the founder of the Rashtriya Shivashakti Sena Pade, while Girish was posted in Mysuru. After Girish was transferred to Channapatna, Anush allegedly visited him and offered to produce a video highlighting his social work.
On June 28, Anush reportedly called Girish around 11 pm, saying he was travelling from Mysuru to Bengaluru and wished to meet him to shoot the video. At around 2 am, Anush allegedly arrived at the victim’s government quarters along with two associates.
The trio reportedly brought alcohol and persuaded the victim to drink. The complainant alleged that after he drank fruit juice which Anush gave him, he started feeling drowsy. The victim claims to have gained consciousness after three hours.
“Anush then allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh, claiming he had suffered heavy losses in a chit fund business, and asked for the key to the cupboard. When Girish told him that the key was with his family members, the accused allegedly forced him onto a bed, covered his face with a pillow and attempted to suffocate him. They also allegedly stripped him naked and recorded videos on a mobile phone.
The complaint states that he was confined inside the house until around 6 am and subjected to physical torture. The accused allegedly forced him to write a death note stating that he alone would be responsible for his death. Before leaving, they threatened to release the nude videos on social media if he failed to pay Rs 10 lakh by the next day. Though they tore up the handwritten note before leaving, they allegedly continued to demand money over the phone,” said an officer based on the victim’s statements.
After receiving treatment at the Channapatna Government Hospital, Girish lodged a complaint against the three accused. Further investigations are on, police said.