Chandra Layout police have arrested three people, including two women, for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a 31-year-old woman over a loan repayment dispute. The accused allegedly threatened to circulate a private video of the woman and demanded Rs 11 lakh.
The arrested accused have been identified as Reshma Banu, Nazrath Begum and Suhail, police said. Another accused, identified as Saif, is reportedly absconding. The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
According to the police complaint, the woman had borrowed Rs 1 lakh from Reshma around two years ago and had been paying monthly interest. She had also borrowed Rs 50,000 from Nazrath and was paying Rs 5,000 every week. However, financial difficulties allegedly prevented her from making payments for several weeks.
Police said the woman had stopped responding to Reshma's calls and had moved to her mother's house in Bapuji Nagar, fearing further harassment. Reshma allegedly continued demanding the money and even threatened the woman's mother.
On August 27, Nazrath allegedly called the woman and asked her to come to her house in Gollarahatti, claiming that she had some work for her and would give her money.
The woman reportedly went to the house with her younger son at around 5.30 pm. While she was feeding her son, Suhail and two other men allegedly entered the house and locked the door.
According to the complaint, Suhail demanded Rs 11 lakh from the woman, claiming that the loan amount and accumulated interest had reached that figure. He allegedly struck her hand with a knife, while Reshma, Nazrath and others allegedly assaulted her.
Around 7 pm, the woman and her son were allegedly forced into an autorickshaw and taken to a house near Kumbalgodu, where she was allegedly confined.
At the house, Nazrath allegedly accused the woman of practising black magic against her. When the woman denied the allegation, she was allegedly assaulted with a stick.
The complaint further states that Suhail allegedly told the woman to engage in prostitution to repay the money. When her minor son began crying, the accused allegedly took him away. The woman and her son were allegedly kept separately during the night.
The following day, Suhail allegedly took the boy and left him near the woman's mother's house.
Later, Nazrath allegedly forced the woman to remove some of her clothes and recorded a video on a mobile phone. The accused allegedly threatened to circulate the video if she failed to repay the money.
The woman was allegedly later taken to a lawyer near a market and made to sign some papers before being taken back to Reshma's house in Kumbalgodu.
According to police, the woman managed to alert them when she was allowed to use the toilet. Reshma allegedly opened the room door and went outside, leaving the main door accessible. A woman police officer and another police staff member subsequently arrived at the house and rescued her.
The woman was taken to Chandra Layout police station, where she filed a complaint. Based on the complaint, police arrested the three accused and are continuing efforts to trace Saif, who remains absconding.
