RM Nagar police arrested a 35-year-old cab driver on August 2 for allegedly blackmailing a homemaker with her personal details, which she had discussed on the phone while travelling in the cab in Bengaluru.
The complainant had booked the cab from Indiranagar to Banaswadi. She was talking on the phone with a friend, discussing her personal issues and seeking suggestions.
The accused, Kiran Kumar, overheard the conversation. Later, he allegedly called the complainant posing as her childhood friend and offered help to resolve the issue. The complainant agreed.
Having gained her confidence, the accused sought financial help citing an emergency. The complainant transferred ₹22 lakh to him, but the accused allegedly started demanding more money. When the victim said she did not have any more money, the accused allegedly asked her to hand over her valuables.
The complainant reluctantly agreed to hand over the gold valuables. When the accused came to collect them, the complainant was shocked to see the cab driver. When she confronted him, the accused allegedly started blackmailing her. He allegedly threatened to share her personal details with her family, and even on social media. Scared, the complainant claims to have handed over 960 grams of gold, worth ₹60 lakh.
When the accused continued to demand more money, the woman approached the police and filed a complaint.
Based on her complaint, the police arrested the accused. They got back the gold valuables, which he had pawned.
DCP (East division) Bhimashankar Guled has requested people not to discuss personal information in public places to avoid such situations.
