Seven people have been taken into custody by the Karnataka police in connection with the kidnapping and severe abuse of three secondhand vehicle salesmen in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district on 11th May. The accused have been identified as Imran Patel and Mohammad Matheen alias Steel Matheen, both residents of Ganesh Nagar, Mohammad Ziya Ullah Hussain from Mujaheer Nagar, Mohammad Afzal Shaikh of Islamabad colony, Hussain Shaikh from Millat Nagar, and Ramesh Doddamani and Sagar Koli from Chitapur taluk, per Police Commissioner R. Chetan. The accused are part of a larger gang and the authorities have been searching for the remaining members.
Police mentioned, “Videos of some males (nudes) being beaten by other men are circulating in Kalaburgi city. In this regard, an FIR was registered on 5th May and 7 accused have already been arrested.” The victims, Abdul Rehman of Hirapur in Kalaburagi, Mohammad Sameeruddin of Islamabad Colony, and Arjunappa Madival of Devanoor village in Sedam taluk were confined to a building in a remote area on the Hagarga road for an entire day (from 4th to 5th May) and subjected to torture. The perpetrators recorded the incident on their cell phones and shared it on social media.
The Kalaburagi police arrested the seven culprits who tortured the three men, administered electric shocks to the victims’ private parts, assaulted them with wooden sticks and issued death threats. Arjunappa had asked Rs 1 lakh in commission from Ramesh for obtaining a used car from his associate Abdul Rehman in Kalaburagi for Rs 6 lakh. Arjunappa left Sedam on 4th May and went to Chittapur to pick up Ramesh in order to buy a secondhand automobile. Once the deal was finalised at Naganahalli Cross, Ramesh brought all three victims to his friend Imran’s house on the Hagarga road under the guise of delivering money. There, they were taken inside the room and put through brutal torture and abusive language after Imran and his co-accused had taken a test drive.
On 5th May, after Imran, the principal offender began threatening to kill Arjunappa and demanded Rs 10 lakh, Arjunappa instructed his wife to deposit Rs 50,000 to his account. Imran seized Arjunappa’s phone and spent about Rs 42,000 via PhonePe by accessing his password. In addition to seeking Rs 7 lakh in extortion to free Arjunappa and his two pals, Imran directed him to cough up Rs 1 lakh every month in commission. The cops arrived at the location on the 5th of May evening after receiving a tip. The perpetrators attempted to escape but were caught.
The victims lodged a complaint with the Vishwavidyalaya police station in Kalaburagi at 9:30 pm on the same day after which a case was filed against the offenders under a number of provisions, including Indian Penal Code section 307 (attempt to murder), 149, 365, 342, 364(a), 504, and 326. An extensive inquiry into the incident has been launched by the police.
