Mysuru District Police solve major extortion cases; four arrested, four absconding
Mysuru: The Mysuru District Police have arrested four persons in connection with three kidnapping and extortion cases and are on the lookout for four others who are absconding.
Addressing a press conference at his office this morning, Mysuru SP Mallikarjun Baladandi said the arrests had helped the Police crack two kidnapping cases reported in Varuna and another case registered with Mysuru South Police. The back-to-back kidnappings and demands for huge ransoms had posed a challenge to the Police, he said.
The arrested are Siddaraju, 47, a farmer from Muddegowdanahundi in Varuna Hobli; K.M. Karthik, 30, a driver from Bengaluru and originally from Chamarajanagar; A.S. Purushotham, 28, a driver from Bengaluru and originally from Maddur in Mandya; and N. Anand, 30, a DJ operator from Nagamangala in Mandya, presently residing in Bengaluru.
The other accused, Puneeth of Bengaluru, Pramod of Chennarayapatna, Kiran, Sagar and his associates, are being traced based on technical evidence and information provided by the arrested accused, the SP said.
Rs. 16 lakh ransom
The latest incident occurred at around 8.30 pm on July 15 at Muddegowdanahundi. Ramu was returning home on his two-wheeler (KA-09-JF-1454) when four persons travelling in a car waylaid and kidnapped him near Javaregowda Katte.
The gang snatched a 30-gram gold chain, two gold rings weighing 10 grams each and Rs. 50,000 in cash before demanding Rs. 40 lakh for his release, the SP said.
Ramu agreed to pay Rs. 16 lakh. The amount was arranged through his relative Suresh and handed over to the accused, following which Ramu was released the next day. He later lodged a complaint with the Varuna Police.
The Police arrested Karthik and Nagesh on July 26 and subsequently arrested the other accused. During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in two other kidnapping cases, the SP said.
Rs. 23 lakh extorted
In November 2025, the accused kidnapped Ravi from Kuppegala village and extorted Rs. 18 lakh through his relative Basappa.
In another incident about eight months ago, Suresh was allegedly kidnapped near Vimanapura Layout on Dadadahalli Road under Mysuru South Police limits. The accused allegedly forced him to pay Rs. 5 lakh before releasing him.
The SP said neither Ravi nor Suresh had lodged complaints as the accused had allegedly threatened to kill them if they approached the Police.
Gambling, lavish lifestyle
According to the Police, the accused were addicted to gambling and had taken loans. They allegedly resorted to kidnappings and dacoities to repay some of the loans and fund their lavish lifestyle. The Police have seized Rs. 4.30 lakh, a car allegedly used in the crimes, a bike, a scooter and five mobile phones.
Additional SPs L. Nagesh and C. Mallick were present at the press conference where the properties that were seized were kept on display.
This post was published on August 8, 2026 7:30 pm