How a Rs 5,000 debt led to graveyard extortion and ‘drug video’ trap in Bengaluru

Four men were arrested for kidnapping a Bengaluru man and stealing money and gold chain from him.

2 min readBengaluruFeb 3, 2026 10:08 PM IST

The police said they recovered Rs 39,000 from the men arrested in Bengaluru. (File Photo)

The Banashankari police in Bengaluru arrested four men on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping a 28-year-old man, extorting Rs 47,000 from him, and stealing his Rs 4-lakh gold chain, officials said.

The police identified the men as Nihar, a resident of Bannerghatta, and Santhosh, Madhu, and Manjunath, all three from JP Nagar.

According to the police, the incident occurred on January 24. Around 6.30 pm, the accused allegedly kidnapped Nithin Gowda, a resident of Thyagarajanagar, in an autorickshaw and took him to a graveyard in JP Nagar. There, they demanded the password of Gowda’s mobile phone. When he refused, he was allegedly assaulted. The attackers obtained the password and transferred Rs 47,000 from his bank account. They also allegedly stole a gold chain weighing 29 g, valued at around Rs 4 lakh.

The following day, an FIR was registered under sections 309(3) (extortion) and 309(4) (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. According to the FIR, the accused later handed Gowda a white cover, claiming it contained illegal drugs, and recorded a video of him. They allegedly threatened that if he approached the police, he would be falsely implicated in a drug-related case. Gowda was released around 11.30 pm.
The police said they recovered Rs 39,000 from the arrested men.

The police said Nihar runs a samosa outlet in Bannerghatta. They added that Gowda and Nihar had known each other for about two years and were planning a business venture together. They also had financial dealings, with Nihar frequently borrowing and repaying money.

“About 20 days before the incident, Gowda had lent Nihar Rs 5,000. On the day of the kidnapping, Nihar asked him to come to Banashankari 2nd Stage under the pretext of repaying the amount, but allegedly kidnapped and extorted money from him instead. Further investigation is underway,” a police officer said.

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