Bengaluru police arrested city-based jeweller Vishnusharan Bhat and his associates, Kevin Thomas and Satish Swamy, following allegations of assaulting a hotel owner. The arrests were made after S Thiruselvam, proprietor of a hotel near the BDA complex in HSR Layout, filed a complaint.
Vishnu is the Managing Director of Bhima Gold Private Limited, Bengaluru.
According to police, the confrontation arose on February 9 when Vishnu, after consuming coffee at Thiruselvam's establishment, inadvertently damaged a two-wheeler while exiting the parking area. Although initially overlooked, tensions escalated during Vishnu's subsequent visit to the hotel on Wednesday, February 26. Thiruselvam confronted Vishnu about the vehicle incident, following which he, along with his bodyguards, allegedly assaulted the hotel owner.
This incident follows another FIR filed earlier in the week at the Koramangala police station, accusing Vishnu and five others in a case involving the alleged kidnapping and assault of an employee from his jewellery store. The employee, accused of stealing 50 grams of gold and selling it to another jeweller, was purportedly abducted and subjected to physical assault by Vishnu and his accomplices. The victim was allegedly coerced to pay back the value of the gold under threat.
Vishnu is in judicial custody for the assault on Thiruselvam, and the police intend to seek custody to investigate the kidnapping allegations. Vishnu has been previously entangled in legal issues, including a 2021 arrest linked to narcotics consumption, along with hacker Srikrishna alias Sriki, the main accused in the Bitcoin case.