Local rowdy arrested for ransacking condiment store for hafta in Bengaluru

A 28-year-old man claiming to be a rowdy ransacked a newly opened condiments store and assaulted its owner when he refused to pay him hafta and give snacks for free.

Police have arrested Ambareesh, of Ambedkar Colony in Yelahanka New Town, based on a complaint filed by H Dinesh Shetty, owner of Brahmalingeshwara Condiments.

Shetty opened his shop in Ambedkar Colony a month-and-a-half ago. Since then, he has been facing trouble from locals, some of them claiming to be local goons.

On April 23 around 10 am, Ambareesh threatened a store employee and asked for free snacks. He returned to the shop around 5.55 pm and threatened Shetty by introducing himself as a rowdy of the area and warned him for filing a complaint against his friend Ganesh.

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Ambareesh allegedly demanded hafta from Shetty and asked for cigarettes, soft drinks and other snacks for free whenever he visited the shop. Ambareesh told Shetty that he cannot run the business without meeting his demands.

Ambareesh assaulted Shetty and tore his T-shirt and ransacked the shop. He threw the broken glass pieces at Shetty causing injuries to his right hand.

Shetty claimed he lost a gold chain and sustained a loss of around Rs 80,000 in the incident.

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A senior officer said a case has been registered for assault and causing damage to the property against Ambareesh and he has been arrested.

Shetty told DH that Ganesh had demanded a ransom and so he had filed a complaint against him. “After the police warned Ganesh, he stopped coming to our shop. Ambareesh started demanding hafta instead. Because of his nuisance, two of my employees have quit,” Shetty said.