A 41-year-old Bengaluru businessman, who is himself an accused in a cheating case, approached the police Tuesday, claiming he was abducted by an armed gang and robbed of Rs 1.09 crore on a busy road.
According to the FIR at the Madanayakanahalli police station, Shiva Shankar, a resident of North Bengaluru who runs a security agency, had long-standing business dealings with three men from Andhra Pradesh: Mohammed Parwez, Aleem, and Jipsan, whom he had known for a decade. The group had been pooling funds into a venture under a company named American Nuclear Resource Centre.
As per the FIR, on June 12, the three associates arrived in Bengaluru and checked into a hotel in Yelahanka. They allegedly contacted Shiva Shankar, informing him that they had brought Rs 35 lakh in cash.
On June 13, at around 10.30 pm, Shiva Shankar and his driver Chethan drove to the hotel. Aleem and his friends allegedly handed over the cash to Shiva Shankar, stating it was unsafe to keep such a large sum inside a hotel room.
On June 15, an associate named Firoz allegedly called Shiva Shankar and asked him to return to the same Yelahanka hotel. This time, Firoz handed over an additional Rs 74 lakh in cash for safekeeping, according to the FIR. At around 10 pm, Shiva Shankar and his driver left the hotel with the money.
As they were driving home via Yelahanka at around 11.05 pm, two men on a motorcycle allegedly crashed into their car near the Ganesha Temple in Kuduregere Colony. Five men emerged from another car and blocked the road, as per the FIR.
Ransom demand
Armed with beer bottles, knives, and iron rods, the gang allegedly assaulted Shiva Shankar and Chethan, dragged them into the getaway vehicle, and confiscated their mobile phones.
The abductors allegedly drove the victims to an isolated location in Nelamangala, demanding a massive ransom. Fearing for his life and aware that the Rs 74 lakh still sitting in the boot of his intercepted car, Shiva Shankar told the kidnappers he had Rs 35 lakh stashed at his home.
The gang then allegedly forced the driver, Chethan, to return to Shiva Shankar’s house accompanied by a few armed abductors. There, Shiva Shankar’s wife was coerced into handing over the Rs 35 lakh in cash.
At around 5 am on Tuesday, the abductors allegedly abandoned both Chethan and Shiva Shankar at an isolated spot and fled. Upon recovering, the victims returned to their vehicle only to find that the cash kept in the car’s boot had been stolen.
Shiva Shankar told the police that the kidnappers appeared to be in the age group of 25 to 45 years and spoke fluently in Kannada and Hindi. The Madanayakanahalli police registered a case under Sections 310(2) (robbery) and 140(2) (kidnapping or abducting to murder or for ransom) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
D L Nagesh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest), said an investigation is underway, though no arrests have been made yet. “We are in the process of verifying timelines and collecting more information,” Nagesh said.
A police officer said, “We are verifying the CCTV footage of the spot which Shiva Shankar has shown to the crime spot. We are questioning him and his friends about a large financial transaction.”
“It seems that someone aware of the cash transportation had meticulously planned the robbery. Also, Shiva Shankar might be attempting to create a false narrative since the money belonged to his friends. We are investigating from all angles,” the officer added.
The police said Shiva Shankar had previously lost massive sums chasing an “antique metal” good-luck scam. He later allegedly defrauded another man of money by luring him with a fake antique vessel, a case for which he remains booked at the V V Puram police station.
A Bengaluru businessman alleged that an armed gang kidnapped him and his driver before robbing Rs 1.09 crore in cash (Image generated using AI). 
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