Four members of a family have been arrested by Bengaluru’s Nandini layout police for allegedly extorting over Rs 70 lakh from a businessman in a well thought out scheme. The accused have been identified as Rani (39), her daughter Preethi (23), Preethi’s husband Manikandan alias Patel Babu (30), and Rani’s brother Prasad (26), a cab driver from Thindlu.
58-year-old Krishnadas from Thindlu, is a caterer, and was allegedly in a relationship with 39-year-old Rani, who used to share her personal problems with him. Recognizing that Krishnadas was well-to-do, she began concocting an elaborate plan to extort money from him.
It started with her borrowing a sum of Rs 30,000 to supposedly pay her son’s college fees. Following this, she took Rs 2.75 lakh from Krishnadas stating that it was for her husband’s medical treatment. He had also given her Rs 3 lakh when she said she wanted to start a beauty parlour. Following this, she asked him for another sum and after he refused this time, she began scheming.
In February, Rani invited Krishnadas home and while they were in a compromising position, her brother and son-in-law dressed as policemen ‘raided’ the house. They threatened to book Krishnadas for prostitution and took Rs 5 lakh from him.
Later in July, the two contacted Krishnadas stating that Rani had been murdered and that he was the prime suspect in the case. He paid them a total sum of Rs 30 lakh to close the case. Subsequently, in September, they again called him and said the case would be reopened unless he paid them Rs 20 lakh, which he arranged by pledging his assets.
Preethi, Rani’s daughter, then contacted him in October and threatened to file a case with the Karnataka State Commission for Women, for paying off the police in her mother’s murder case and demanded that he pay her Rs 20 lakh. Krishnadas grew suspicious only after the fake cops called him up in November demanding Rs 65 lakh, at which time he approached the Nandini Layout police and lodged a complaint.
Acting with the help of police officials, he agreed to give the duo Rs 65 lakh as per their demand. When he went to hand over the cash, Nandini Layout police nabbed Manikandan and Prasad. Preethi and Rani were in a vehicle not too far behind, and they too were caught.