22 KRV activists held for 'extorting' lorry driver

Twenty-two activists of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), including the president of its Bangalore Rural unit, Ambarish, were caught by the residents of Thailagere village near Devanahalli on Tuesday night for “extorting” a lorry driver.

Lokesh, the lorry driver, was driving to the village when 25-30 people, who arrived by seven cars having KRV stickers, waylaid him around 10 pm and asked him to part with money, according to Mahesh, an eyewitness. The lorry was transporting jelly stones.

If Lokesh failed to make the payment, they would complain against him and the lorry owner that they were transporting illegal sand and stones, Mahesh quoted the activists as having threatened the lorry driver.

Lokesh then called up the lorry owner who reached the spot shortly thereafter. The lorry owner refused to pay the money. Around 400 villagers gathered at the spot, and after discovering the matter, they assaulted the KRV activists and locked them up in a room.

Police said by the time they reached the spot, the workers were locked up. Later, they booked a case on a complaint filed by a villager, Phalaksha. Police have also seized the seven cars used by the suspects. Devanahalli JMFC court on Wednesday remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.