Eleven persons, including a woman actor and social media influencer, have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping, assaulting and robbing Kannada film director T.A. Anish following a financial dispute.
Anish, who runs Aneesh Creations and has directed short films, album songs and the feature Jeevanada Bhashe, lodged a complaint at Adugodi Police Station on February 11 after being hospitalised with multiple injuries. The case surfaced after the hospital flagged it as a medico-legal matter.
Dispute over loan and film investment
Police said the conflict stemmed from an alleged unpaid loan of Rs 2.5 lakh and disagreements over an investment of Rs 5–6 lakh in Anish’s unreleased film. One of the accused, identified as Ashirvad alias Aashi (also known as Ash Mello), was allegedly involved in the dispute. Lakshmi Narayan is accused of instigating the assault through a video call.
Originally from Tamil Nadu, Anish had recently shifted to Mumbai. On February 9, he travelled to Bengaluru after informing a female acquaintance, actor Aishwarya from Indiranagar, about plans to sell his Honda CRV.
Assault and robbery
Under the pretext of helping him find a buyer, the accused allegedly took him to a house where he was confined and assaulted with cricket stumps and hockey sticks. They reportedly pressured him to withdraw earlier complaints and delete evidence related to the financial dispute.
When he refused, the assault intensified. Police said the attackers robbed him of 22 grams of gold ornaments and Rs 30,000 in cash. He was later driven to an isolated area near Mandaragiri Hill in Tumakuru district, where he was assaulted again. The group allegedly attempted to extort Rs 5 lakh and withdrew Rs 5,500 from his account using his ATM card before abandoning him at a hospital.
Arrests and recovery
Police have recovered six mobile phones, gold ornaments, a car and cash. The accused were produced before a court and remanded to custody. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the complete sequence of events.