Mysore/Mysuru: Three months ago, a sculpture teacher became a victim of extortion, but he refrained from filing a complaint to prevent unnecessary panic among his family members.

While driving on Valmiki Road towards Kalamandira, the teacher was closely followed by two youths who alleged that his car had caused an accident and demanded payment of medical expenses.

The culprits staged a fake accident and asked the teacher if he had not heard the collision. The teacher clarified that he hadn’t caused any accident and the noise had come from the car’s open bonnet. They then stopped the scooter and entered the car, instructing the teacher to drive towards Saraswathipuram.

Subsequently, the criminals insisted that the teacher accompany them to the hospital and cover medical expenses. When the teacher said that he had no cash on hand, they informed him that if cash was unavailable, he must withdraw money from an ATM. While one of the individuals pretended to be in severe pain, the other used an aggressive demeanour to intimidate the teacher. Due to the teacher’s urgent need to reach his college, he reluctantly handed over Rs. 1,000. However, the criminals persisted in demanding Rs. 5,000 and fled with the money.