Belthangady : Cops bust blackmail gang; arrest 8 including woman

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 31, 2015: The Belthangady Police have arrested a gang of eight members including a woman on the charges of kidnapping, blackmailing and extortion attempt. The gang had recently  victimised two men.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Informing this to reporters here on July 31, Friday, District Superintendent of Police Dr Sharanappa said the prime accused in the case is  Mohammad Asif alias Asif of Goliangady (25). The other accused who are arrested are Abdul Lathif alias Abdulla (36) of Goliangady, Sabir (25) of Maddadka,  Abdul Majeed (22) of Nelligudde, Hashim (25) of Kukkedi, Zarina (27) of Nekkilu, Aboobakker Siddique (21) of Kukkedi and  Sulaiman (35) of Padangady.  The SP said the police are on the lookout for four others who too were wanted in connection with this case.

 Giving details about the  misdeeds of the gang, the SP said  on July 27 evening the prime accused Mohammad Asif  had telephoned Basheer who was   travelling in an autorickshaw towards Loretto Padavu  with a request to pick up a burqa clad  lady and drop her at Ujire. As requested Basheer had given a lift to the woman  in the autorickshaw which was later  intercepted by a Ritz and Scorpio vehicles. The assailants took Basheer along with the autorickshaw driver to an isolated place and assaulted them. Later Basheer was forced to pose for photos with the woman identified as Zarina. The gang then asked Basheer to pay an amount of Rs 10 lakhs lest it would release the photo and video on social sites  and file a rape case against him. Both Basheer and Nasir were later robbed of a cash of Rs 4500 which they had apart from two cell phones, Basheer’s passport as well as the autorickshaw.

Following a complaint by Basheer, a special team led by ASP Rahul Kumar and Belthangady Inspector Lingappa Poojary was formed and the eight were arrested. SP Dr Sharanappa said all the eight arrested persons had no other criminal case against them in the past and that one of them Abdul Latif had once posed as an SI (Crime).

Delving on other crime cases, the SP said   the police have already arrested one person in connection with the incident wherein a Dalit named Sunder Malekudiya’s fingers were chopped off reportedly by his landlord.

The SP also informed that probe is underway into the case of murder of Jayananda of Subrahmanya reportedly by his wife and her paramour.  He said  five persons including Jayananda’s wife Lalitha, Dhananjay, Chandrakanth to whom  Dhananjay had given a supari of Rs 65000 to eliminate his wife,  Chintan and Dinesh Poojary have been arrested in this case.

Rahul Kumar, ASP was also present during the SP’s press meet.