CCB constable among 5 held for abduction

A Central Crime Branch (CCB) police constable and his four associates have been arrested on charges of abduction and dacoity.

The arrested are: B Shesha, constable attached to Organised Crime Wing of the CCB, Bhairesh, 37 and Vijay, 27, both workers of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Shivaramegowda faction), Manivannan, 36, a construction worker and Pawan, 21, an unemployed youth. Four others involved in the incident are at large, DCP (West) M N Anucheth said.

The suspects had abducted Jaishankar, 42, a businessman, and his advocate-friend Umesh from near SJR College on Dr Rajkumar Road on November 26. They had released them after robbing the two of Rs 25.20 lakh, they were carrying.

Jaishankar owns Shreyas Electricals shop in Jayanagar. Pawan, one of the arrested, was known to Umesh. He offered Umesh Rs 5 lakh, if the latter (Umesh) exchanged demonetised currency notes worth Rs 30 lakh. Umesh discussed the idea with Jaishankar and roped in his six friends for the task.

Jaishankar and Umesh informed Pawan after they collected Rs 25.20 lakh in new currency.

On November 26, Jaishankar and Umesh were travelling by car with the cash. When they reached SRJ College around 9 am, Shesha and two others, intercepted them, assaulted and bundled the two into their car, and drove towards Madanayakanahalli.

They released Jaishankar and Umesh after robbing them of the money they were carrying. Jaishankar had noted the registration number of the vehicle in which they were taken to Madanayakanahalli.

Based on the information provided by Jaishankar, the police traced the car owner, Manivannan. He claimed that he had sold his car on an online platform. However, on sustained interrogation, Manivannan spilled the beans. On the basis of the details given by him, the police arrested the other suspects.

Shesha stays in KP Agrahara. Some local people told his wife that Shesha had been abducted. She turned up at the Upparpet police station to lodge a missing person complaint. The police guided her to the cell where Shesha was lodged.