<p>Bengaluru: A couple, along with their friend, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police for allegedly defrauding a city-based businessman of Rs 6 crore, authorities said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>The arrested individuals have been identified as Rekha, 38, her husband Manjunath, 40, and their friend Chetan, 35. Rekha holds a BSc degree, while Manjunath, a businessman, has an MBA. Chetan worked as a financial advisor at a private company.</p>.<p>Investigators revealed that the trio approached the victim, a real estate businessman, and claimed to be eyewitnesses to the 2010 Carlton Towers fire tragedy, which claimed nine lives. Rekha, who was known to the victim from previous loan dealings, allegedly convinced him of their connection to the fire tragedy.</p>.<p>"They told the victim that the owner of Carlton Towers had promised them Rs 25 crore in exchange for turning hostile in court,” said a police officer. “They offered the victim a share of the sum if he assisted in releasing part of the money. In return, they promised him 2:1 returns — for every Rs 1 crore he invested, he would receive Rs 2 crore.”</p>.Two arrested for armed robbery in Bengaluru, minor detained .<p>Rekha told the businessman that the Carlton Towers owner had deposited Rs 6 crore in a bank account, which was frozen by the Income Tax (I-T) Department and Enforcement Directorate (ED). The victim was instructed to lend Rs 7 lakh to have the frozen funds released, with the promise that the loan would be repaid.</p>.<p>The police said the victim was taken to various offices, where he was made to wait in the lobby and repeatedly pressured to pay a total of Rs 6 crore under the guise of clearance charges and other fees necessary to release the money from the frozen account.</p>.<p>On January 16, CCB officers arrested Rekha from a paying guest accommodation near Hoskote. She admitted to her involvement and identified her husband and friend as accomplices. The police later arrested Manjunath from their residence in KR Puram and Chetan from his home in Hassan.</p>.<p><strong>Not the first time</strong> </p>.<p>During the investigation, the police discovered that Rekha had defrauded several others by promising loans.</p>.<p>In one instance, she allegedly blackmailed a man via video call and extorted Rs 31 lakh from him.</p>.<p>Additionally, Rekha had failed to respond to court summons in multiple cheque bounce cases filed against her.</p>.<p>Further inquiries into Rekha’s financial transactions revealed that between 2022 and 2024, she had moved a total of Rs 24 crore through various bank accounts.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: A couple, along with their friend, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police for allegedly defrauding a city-based businessman of Rs 6 crore, authorities said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>The arrested individuals have been identified as Rekha, 38, her husband Manjunath, 40, and their friend Chetan, 35. Rekha holds a BSc degree, while Manjunath, a businessman, has an MBA. Chetan worked as a financial advisor at a private company.</p>.<p>Investigators revealed that the trio approached the victim, a real estate businessman, and claimed to be eyewitnesses to the 2010 Carlton Towers fire tragedy, which claimed nine lives. Rekha, who was known to the victim from previous loan dealings, allegedly convinced him of their connection to the fire tragedy.</p>.<p>"They told the victim that the owner of Carlton Towers had promised them Rs 25 crore in exchange for turning hostile in court,” said a police officer. “They offered the victim a share of the sum if he assisted in releasing part of the money. In return, they promised him 2:1 returns — for every Rs 1 crore he invested, he would receive Rs 2 crore.”</p>.Two arrested for armed robbery in Bengaluru, minor detained .<p>Rekha told the businessman that the Carlton Towers owner had deposited Rs 6 crore in a bank account, which was frozen by the Income Tax (I-T) Department and Enforcement Directorate (ED). The victim was instructed to lend Rs 7 lakh to have the frozen funds released, with the promise that the loan would be repaid.</p>.<p>The police said the victim was taken to various offices, where he was made to wait in the lobby and repeatedly pressured to pay a total of Rs 6 crore under the guise of clearance charges and other fees necessary to release the money from the frozen account.</p>.<p>On January 16, CCB officers arrested Rekha from a paying guest accommodation near Hoskote. She admitted to her involvement and identified her husband and friend as accomplices. The police later arrested Manjunath from their residence in KR Puram and Chetan from his home in Hassan.</p>.<p><strong>Not the first time</strong> </p>.<p>During the investigation, the police discovered that Rekha had defrauded several others by promising loans.</p>.<p>In one instance, she allegedly blackmailed a man via video call and extorted Rs 31 lakh from him.</p>.<p>Additionally, Rekha had failed to respond to court summons in multiple cheque bounce cases filed against her.</p>.<p>Further inquiries into Rekha’s financial transactions revealed that between 2022 and 2024, she had moved a total of Rs 24 crore through various bank accounts.</p>
