Mysuru: The Hebbal Police have registered a case against six individuals for allegedly blackmailing a woman and attempting to extort money by falsely accusing her of operating a brothel.

Three of the accused — Hanchya Ravi, Manjunath and K.H. Hanumantharaju — have been arrested, while the remaining three accused — Yogesh, Doreswamy and Suryavardhan — are still at large and the Police are on the lookout for them.

The incident came to light when Aarthi, the wife of Chandrashekar, a resident of Hebbal 1st Stage near Madegowda Circle, filed a complaint with the Police on Jan. 9 where she mentioned that the men arrived at her house on Dec. 28, 2024, around 4.30 pm.

The group claimed to be media personnel and accused Aarthi of running a brothel from her residence. They threatened to file legal charges against her unless she paid them Rs. 1 lakh to keep the matter private.

Despite Aarthi’s repeated denials of the allegations, the accused continued to pressurise her, demanding that she  arrange the money immediately to avoid legal action. The group left her house after their initial demand but warned of dire consequences if she failed  to comply.

However, on a subsequent visit, the accused forcibly entered Aarthi’s house once again. This time, they reiterated their false accusations of her operating a brothel. The accused claimed to have the support of the Police in their operation. Aarthi, in her complaint, stated that she was intimidated and harassed throughout the ordeal. She feared for her safety and well-being due to the aggressive nature of the accused. The complaint also mentions certain gold earrings that the accused                                             had taken from her for which they were demanding money after returning them.

Following her complaint, Hebbal Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar registered the case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including Sections 329(4), 319(2), 309(4), 308(2) and 3(5) (blackmail,   extortion and threat).