• Mandya man lured to Madikeri, then stripped, threatened & assaulted
• Honey-trap suspected; 2 women arrested

Madikeri: A man who travelled to Madikeri to meet a woman he had befriended on Facebook was allegedly assaulted, disrobed and threatened with a ransom demand of Rs. 50 lakh.

The victim, who managed to escape, reportedly ran to the Police station in a semi-naked state and sought protection.

The victim has been identified as H.P. Mahadeva (39), a native of Maddur in Mandya district, presently residing at Chamarajpet in Bengaluru.

Two women — Rachana and her mother Malathi — have been arrested, and the Police are on the lookout for other accused.

Exchange of messages

According to the Police, Mahadeva had recently befriended a woman identified as Rachana, a resident of Madikeri, on Facebook, following which they began exchanging messages regularly.

Rachana sought Rs. 10,000 from him, citing financial difficulties, which Mahadeva transferred through a digital payment platform. He transferred Rs. 5,000 on 20.11.2025 and another Rs. 5,000 on 28.11.2025.

When Mahadeva later asked her to return the money, Rachana reportedly asked him to come to either Mysuru or Madikeri.

Acting on her request, Mahadeva arrived in Madikeri on Friday night and contacted her. She gave him the address of her house at Mangaladevinagar.

Trap laid

After reaching the house, Rachana welcomed him inside and spoke casually for some time, even discussing tourist spots in the town. It is learnt that both consumed liquor.

During this time, Rachana received a phone call and later claimed that a relative had passed away, before leaving the house abruptly.

As Rachana was leaving, her mother and a man identified as Dinesh arrived at the house in an autorickshaw and questioned Mahadeva about the money he had lent her.

Dinesh allegedly sent Rachana and her mother away and later called his associates Sujith and Darshan to the house.

Assault and disrobing

The trio allegedly disrobed Mahadeva, burnt his clothes, pointed an airgun at his head, threatened him and assaulted him with clubs and a knife.

They also snatched his mobile phone and threatened to record a video of him in a semi-naked condition and upload it on social media. They are said to have demanded Rs. 50 lakh to let him go.

Traumatised, Mahadeva pleaded with them and requested permission to step outside to answer nature’s call. He was allowed to do so wearing only his underwear.

Sensing an opportunity, Mahadeva fled and was allegedly chased by the trio in an autorickshaw, who attempted to pull him inside the vehicle.

Mahadeva managed to escape, boarded another autorickshaw and went straight to the Madikeri Town Police Station, where he sought protection.

Police rushed to the house where Mahadeva was allegedly confined, but the suspects had fled by then.

During the investigation, Police collected CCTV footage from the surrounding areas and reportedly found visuals showing the suspects attempting to drag Mahadeva into an auto.

Based on Mahadeva’s complaint, the Police have arrested Rachana and her mother, Malathi, from their house at Ashokapura on Siddapura Road. A search has been launched for Dinesh, Sujith and Darshan. Police have seized the clubs and the knife used in the crime.

Honey-trap suspected

Police suspect the incident to be a case of honey-trapping and that Rachana was the mastermind. Further investigation is underway.