Bengaluru: Rowdy who burnt ex-girlfriend’s car in arrested

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru police have arrested 26-year-old rowdy sheeter Rahul alias Star, who allegedly set his former girlfriend’s car on fire last week in Subramanyapura, South Bengaluru.

Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths tracked down Rahul to the southern outskirts of Bengaluru, where he had been hiding to evade arrest.

The incident took place around 1:30 am on February 23, when Rahul — who has over 20 criminal cases against him — entered the parking lot of an apartment complex in Subramanyapura with two accomplices. On identifying his former girlfriend’s Hyundai i20, he set it ablaze.

Rahul, a notorious offender, has a bullet wound on his left leg from a 2020 police encounter. At the time, he had attacked an officer while resisting arrest, prompting the police to open fire.

Police sources said Rahul sought to instil fear and reassert his dominance. He was under regular police surveillance, with authorities frequently summoning him to keep his activities in check.

However, the recent arson attack marked a serious escalation in his criminal activities. In response, a joint team from two police stations, along with the CCB, launched a manhunt.

Based on credible leads, Rahul was traced and arrested. A senior police officer confirmed the development to DH.

Investigations revealed that Rahul had been in a relationship with the woman since childhood. Recently, she began distancing herself for personal reasons, which enraged him. In a fit of rage, he created a ruckus outside her father's residence in CK Achukattu.

Later, upon learning that she had shifted to a leased flat in Subramanyapura, Rahul and an accomplice tracked her down and torched her car.