Bengaluru: Woman stripped, assaulted over loan repayment; three arrested

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Sep 4, 2026: Chandra Layout police have arrested three persons, including two women, for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a 31-year-old woman over non-payment of loan interest. The accused also allegedly threatened to circulate a private video of the woman after forcing her to partially strip.

The arrested accused have been identified as Reshma Banu, Nazrath Begum and Suhail. Police said another accused, identified as Saif, is absconding.

According to a senior police officer, the victim, a resident of Sunkadakatte on Magadi Road, had borrowed Rs 50,000 from Nazrath on a weekly instalment basis and was paying Rs 5,000 every week. However, she was unable to make payments for around four weeks due to financial difficulties.

The woman had also borrowed Rs 1 lakh from Reshma around two years ago and had been paying monthly interest. She allegedly failed to pay the interest for about six months, following which Reshma began repeatedly demanding the money and visiting her house.

In her complaint, the woman told police that she had blocked Reshma’s phone numbers and moved to her mother’s house in Bapuji Nagar, fearing further harassment.

Reshma allegedly threatened the victim’s mother, claiming that she had sent men to search for her and would throw acid at her if she was found.

On August 27, Nazrath allegedly called the woman and asked her to come to her house in Gollarahatti, saying she had some work for her and would give her money.

The woman went to Nazrath’s house with her younger son at around 5.30 pm. While she was feeding her son, Suhail and two other men allegedly entered the house and locked the door.

Suhail allegedly abused the woman and demanded Rs 11 lakh, claiming that the loan amount and accumulated interest had reached that figure. He allegedly struck her hand with a knife, while Reshma and the others assaulted her.

Around 7 pm, the woman and her son were allegedly forced into an autorickshaw. Reshma and Nazrath allegedly sat beside her, while Suhail and two others accompanied them. They allegedly took the woman to a house near Kumbalgodu and confined her there.

At the house, Nazrath allegedly accused the woman of performing black magic against her. When the woman denied the allegation, Nazrath allegedly assaulted her with a stick.

Suhail allegedly told the woman to engage in prostitution to repay the money. When her minor son began crying, the accused allegedly took him away. The woman and her son were allegedly kept separately during the night.

The following day, Suhail allegedly took the boy and left him near the woman’s mother’s house. Later, Nazrath allegedly forced the woman to remove her clothes and partially stripped her before recording a video on a mobile phone. The accused allegedly threatened to circulate the video if she failed to repay the money.

The next day, the accused allegedly took the woman in an autorickshaw to a lawyer near a market and made her sign some papers. She was then allegedly taken back to Reshma’s house in Kumbalgodu and confined again.

The woman managed to alert the police when she was allowed to use the toilet. Reshma allegedly opened the room door and went outside, leaving the main door accessible. After some time, a woman police officer and another police staff member arrived at the house and rescued her.

The woman was taken to Chandra Layout police station, where she lodged a complaint. Based on the complaint, police arrested the three accused and produced them before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody. Police said efforts are underway to trace the absconding accused Saif.