BENGALURU: People residing in Jayanagar, Banashankari, JP Nagar and other parts of South Bengaluru watch out for a mysterious man who stops and hops on to your car claiming you have caused an accident and his people are getting there soon to attack you. He terrorises the victims and extorts money from them. He targets elderly people alone in the car.
One of his latest victims was a 54-year-old freelance editor who lost Rs 60,000 in Jayanagar. When he went to the police station to file a complaint, he was surprised that the police had the picture of the accused in their database. The accused is said to have extorted more than seven persons using the fake accident modus operandi.
The Jayanagar police have registered a case of extortion. The victim, identified as AS Sreenath, a resident of Byrappa Garden in Jayanagar, filed the complaint on Friday. The incident occurred between 4.45 pm and 6 pm a few days ago at JSS Circle on Kanakapura Road in Jayanagar 7th Block.
“I was in a hurry to pick up my wife from the college where she works as she was unwell. The accused stopped my car saying his brother met with an accident as my car hit him near Anantha Kumar Circle. He then sat inside my car and terrorised me saying that if I do not pay him, some more people will come and harm me. He was not letting me go and made me transfer Rs 60,000 to his UPI account.
I was worried thinking about my wife. Unaware of the jurisdiction, first I went to the Banashankari police station where the police showed me the picture of the man. After I identified him, the police told me that he was a habitual offender and had a few cases registered against him in different police stations. I later filed a complaint in the Jayanagar police station,” Sreenath told TNIE.
The police have registered a case of extortion under section 308(2) of BNS.
“The accused is a habitual offender. He picks his target and watches the movement for a few days. He scares the victims with the fake accident stories. He acts violently towards the victims and makes them believe his words. If the victim does not respond, he starts banging on the car to draw their attention,” said an officer.