The Karnataka chief of JD(S) women’s wing Arshiya Ali was arrested with three others on Saturday in Bengaluru for kidnapping a real estate promoter, Mallikarjuna alias Mallanna.
Arshiya was sacked from her party post following the arrest, reported The New Indian Express.
The other three arrested were Renuka Prasad (41), Kantharaj Gowda (30) and Pradeep alias Prateesh (32).
According to the police, Kantharaj, the prime accused, had known Mallikarjuna through business dealings and had borrowed some money from him. Arshiya and Renuka Prasad also had financial connections with Mallikarjuna. Pradeep used to work as Gowda’s driver.
The four devised a plan to kidnap Mallikarjuna as he was wealthy; they even managed to get Rs 60 lakh on the day of the kidnapping (January 11). Arshiya was the one who hatched the kidnap plot, police said.
The culprits were nabbed after obtaining CCTV footage of the abduction, from which they located the number plate of the car used, and also from tracking cell phone records.
The kidnapping
“On January 11, Mallikarjuna had come to a nearby park at Kogilu Cross for his morning walk and Gowda along with his car driver Pradeep approached him, threatening him with a pistol,” a police official at the Yelahanka Police Station told TNIE.
Then Mallikarjuna was taken to Kolar, where he was locked up in a room, and calls were made to his family asking for Rs 100 crore ransom in return for his release.
Mallikarjuna’s son Dr Ravikumar negotiated with the gang and brought the ransom amount down to Rs 60 lakh. Ravikumar delivered the money the same day and the gang let Mallikarjuna go with his son. Ravikumar’s gold ornaments were also taken from him by the gang when he went to deliver the ransom.
Investigations began after Ravikumar lodged a complaint at the Yelahanka Police Station.
According to the police, Arshiya was the main conspirator behind the abduction and was found with Rs 45 lakh for which she did not have any documents.
Renuka Prasad and Gowda have both been arrested previously for other crimes.
Renuka Prasad has been involved in multiple cheating cases and a property dispute incident, while Gowda was arrested for carrying Rs 1 crore worth of demonetised notes.