BENGALURU: A security agency owner and his car driver were allegedly abducted at knifepoint and robbed of Rs 1.09 crore in cash by a gang of seven miscreants near Kuduregere Colony in the Madanayakanahalli police station limits on Monday night.
According to the complaint, R I Shivashankar (41), a resident of Muniswamy Reddy Layout who runs a security agency in partnership with his associates, was travelling to his residence with Rs 74 lakh in cash in his car boot along with his driver, Chethan (21). At around 11 pm, two unidentified men on a scooter intercepted his vehicle near Kuduregere Colony. Moments later, five more men arrived in another car.
The gang allegedly threatened the duo with knives and beer bottles, forced them out of their car, and abducted them in another vehicle. They were taken to a forest area near Nelamangala, where the accused allegedly threatened to kill them and demanded more money.
Fearing for his life, Shivashankar told the gang that he had Rs 35 lakh at his residence. The accused allegedly made him call his wife through WhatsApp and instructed him to tell her that the driver would collect the cash from her.
One of the gang members, accompanied by the driver, collected the money from the house. Shivashankar and Chethan were held hostage until around 5 am on Tuesday before being released. Upon checking their car, they found that the accused had also stolen the Rs 74 lakh kept inside the vehicle, the FIR stated.
Police said that Shivashankar told investigators that he and his associates were planning to start a company under the name “American Nuclear Research Centre.” The cash was allegedly pooled as investments for the venture. The investigation revealed that Shivashankar was previously booked in a rice-pulling fraud case at the V V Puram police station last year. Police suspect that the money involved in the robbery could be linked to the alleged scam.