Murder, she wrote: Woman, kin extort Rs 75 lakh from businessman-lover

BENGALURU: Four members of a family are now cooling their heels in jail for allegedly extorting Rs 75 lakh from a city-based businessman by blackmailing him over several issues, including the concocted murder of a 39-year-old widow.
Krishnadas, 58, had no clue that the extortion was masterminded by the ‘murdered’ woman who he used to help financially.
Baby Rani, daughter Preethi, 23, her husband Manikandan alias Patel Babu, 30, and his brother Prasad, 26, a cabbie, from Thindlu near Vidyaranyapura, north Bengaluru, were arrested for cheating Krishnadas, a catering businessman and resident of Nandini Layout.
Krishnadas and Rani were in a relationship and she often shared with him her family problems and took money from him. However, Rani, who was aware of his wealth, decided to make a quick buck and hatched a plan with her family members.
In February, Rani invited Krishnadas to her residence. While they were in a compromising position, Manikandan and Prasad, posing as police officials, ‘raided’ the house. Threatening to book him for prostitution, they managed to take Rs 5 lakh from him.
In July, Manikandan and Prasad contacted Krishnadas and told him that Baby Rani had been murdered and they suspected his role as her family mentioned his name in the complaint. A panicky Krishnadas sought the duo’s help to close the case and paid Rs 20 lakh. The duo made him cough up another Rs 10 lakh, claiming that senior officials and some pro-Kannada organisations too had to be paid off.
Again in September, the fake cops called Krishnadas and told him that there were chances that the murder case might be reopened and demanded Rs 20 lakh. Krishnadas pledged his assets and paid the same. In October, Baby Rani’s daughter Preethi called Krishnadas and threatened to file a complaint against him with the Karnataka State Commission for Women for suppressing her mother’s ‘murder’ case. Krishnadas had to pay Rs 20 lakh to Preethi also.
It was only when the ‘police officials’ called in November, asking him to pay Rs 65 lakh more to close the case, Krishnadas smelt a rat. Soon, he approached Nandini Layout police with a complaint.
How fraudsters trapped
Nandini Layout police hatched a plan and told Krishnadas to agree to the blackmailers’ demand to pay more money. When Manikandan and Prasad came to collect cash, police picked them up. Baby Rani and Preethi were found in another car behind the duo’s vehicle.
Krishnadas feared that his reputation would be compromised and the gang took advantage of this, police said.
Where’s the money
Police recovered Rs 11 lakh, two cars and a motorcycle from the accused, who had invested most of the money to build a four-storey house in Thindlu. The under-construction building has been sealed.