A couple, along with their friend, has been arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru police for allegedly defrauding a city-based businessman of Rs 6 crore, authorities reported on Tuesday.
The accused have been identified as Rekha (38), her husband Manjunath (40), and their friend Chetan (35). Rekha, with a BSc degree, and Manjunath, an MBA graduate and businessman, were joined by Chetan, a financial advisor, in carrying out the scam. The trio reportedly approached the victim, a real estate businessman, and falsely claimed to be eyewitnesses to the tragic 2010 Carlton Towers fire, which claimed nine lives.
According to the police, Rekha convinced the businessman of their connection to the tragedy, stating that the owner of Carlton Towers had promised them Rs 25 crore in exchange for turning hostile in court. They promised the victim a share of the money if he helped release part of it. In return, they offered him a 2:1 return on his investment—promising Rs 2 crore for every Rs 1 crore invested.
The trio falsely told the victim that the Carlton Towers owner had deposited Rs 6 crore in a bank account, which had been frozen by the Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate. They pressured the victim to lend Rs 7 lakh to unfreeze the funds, claiming it was for clearance charges. The businessman was taken to various offices and repeatedly coerced into paying a total of Rs 6 crore for fees and other charges.
On January 16, Rekha was arrested at a paying guest accommodation near Hoskote, where she confessed to the scam and named her husband and friend as accomplices. The police later arrested Manjunath at their residence in KR Puram and Chetan in Hassan.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Rekha had been involved in similar fraudulent activities. She had previously defrauded other victims by promising loans and had even extorted Rs 31 lakh from one individual through video call blackmail. Furthermore, Rekha had failed to respond to court summons in multiple cheque bounce cases filed against her.
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