BENGALURU: Two miscreants diverted the attention of actor Vinod Raj in broad daylight and fled with
Rs1 lakh from a bag kept inside his car at Nelamangala here on Friday. The duo told the actor that one of the rear wheels of his car was deflated and when the latter came out to check it, they lifted the money.
According to a senior police officer, Raj had withdrawn the cash from a bank to pay workers at his farmhouse located in Soladevanahalli. He had kept the bag containing the cash inside his car and one of his assistants, Ramanjaneya, was accompanying him.
At 1.30 pm, when the actor was inside the car opposite the bank, two youths approached him and told him that the rear wheel of his car was deflated.He came out to check and the youths also started talking about some “white patches on his face.” Raj told them that he had been celebrating Ganesha festival and the bursting of crackers might have caused the patches. Soon after, they walked away from the spot. Around 3.30 pm, Raj realised that the cash was missing from the bag and approached the Nelamanagala Town police and filed a case.
CCTV camera footage from the area are being scrutinised to ascertain the identity of the accused. Police have ruled out the involvement of someone known to the actor in the crime.Speaking to TNIE, Raj said, “When I took the car to the garage, the mechanic told me that the tyre was slashed with a sharp object. Then I got suspicious about the pedestrians who were acting as if they were trying to help replace the tyre with a spare one. I really don’t know why they targeted me. The workers at my farmhouse are waiting for their salary.
A CCTV camera installed in a garment store has recorded the incident and police are examining it.”