Minor girl & gang kidnap, strip & assault ex-lover over intimate video in Bengaluru | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: In a shocking incident that’s reminiscent of the sensational Renukaswamy murder case involving Kannada actor Darshan, an engineering student was kidnapped, stripped and forced to run naked by a 12-member gang in the backdrop of a love affair that ended in breakup. The 19-year-old was assaulted on his private parts in front of his former girlfriend—a minor, at whose behest the attack allegedly carried out. Soladevanahalli police have arrested nine accused. Acting on a complaint lodged by Vishnu (name changed), a resident of Sasuveghatta in North Bengaluru, police registered a case of kidnap, acting with criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.The trigger for the attack was Vishnu’s alleged refusal to delete messages and photographs exchanged between him and the girl in the past despite their breakup a few months ago. Vishnu was upset that the girl was ignoring him and moving closely with another boy. While she requested him to delete everything and move on, he slammed her for changing her friends at will and threatened to expose her, police said.The minor then confided in another girl who promised to settle the issue. Led by the minor girl, a 12-member gang kidnapped Vishnu on June 30 and beat him with canes and sticks before getting the photos and videos deleted.The accused are: A Shivashankar, 20, of Sheshadripuram; Yashvanth Patel, 20, of Ganapatinagar; N Hemant, 18, of Nelamanagala; S Salman Khan, 23, of T Dasarahalli; Rahul M, 20, of Ullal; Tejas S, 18; Rakesh R, 21, both residents of Hesaraghatta; and N Shashank Gowda, 19, of Yeshwanthpur. Police are looking for Hemant, Surya, and Vishal, who are elusive. Of the arrested, Salman Khan is a lab technician while the others are students.Love, breakup, and fightVishnu and the minor girl were in love for almost two years. “Post breakup, her closeness with another boy irked Vishnu. Meanwhile, the girl started forcing Vishnu to delete their photos and videos from Vishnu’s mobile phone. But Vishnu refused, saying he would tell her family and others that she was in the habit of making boyfriends and ditching them,” police said.Friend offers to get job doneWorried about Vishnu keeping the private videos and pictures with him, the girl sought the help of a close friend. She did not want her new boyfriend to know about her past. The friend promised to get the job done and contacted Hemanth, Shivashankar, and Yashvanth Patel. Accordingly, the 12-member gang asked the girl to bring Vishnu to AGB Layout in Hesaraghatta.Forced him to delete photos & videosAs planned, the girl took Vishnu to AGB Layout on the pretext of discussing some personal issues. There, the accused men first demanded Vishnu to hand over his phone, but he had left it at home. By then, some of the men had already started beating up Vishnu. Bundling Vishnu in Hemant’s car, other accused, including the girl, drove to his home. One of the attackers recorded the scene on his mobile while travelling in the car; Vishnu stuffed into a corner of the car. Some of them told him to sing a song; when Vishnu sat silent, the minor girl and others shouted at him. Also, someone sang a song and told him to continue it.The car was parked a little away from Vishnu’s house. Vishnu went inside, returned with the phone, and handed it over to Hemant who deleted the photos and videos. Vishnu kept the phone back at home and as demanded by Hemant, joined them again. This time, the car reached a desolate place near Alur lake. Others too reached the spot. Vishnu was made to sit on the ground with others standing around. “So, you want only me? You want my pictures and videos? You don’t want anything else?” questioned the girl.Hemanth and Shivshankar grabbed Vishnu’s trousers, and the latter resisted. Others held Vishnu firmly, and in no time, the gang stripped him completely. The video shows him begging for mercy. “This is like the Renukaswamy murder case,” shouts one of the accused. At one stage, the minor girl questioned Vishnu about the videos and photos. Vishnu replied that everything has been deleted. However, seeing one of the attackers recording on his mobile, the minor girl stepped back. Then, the accused persons started beating up Vishnu mercilessly.