The police arrested six persons on Tuesday on the charges of abducting and assaulting a 28-year-old woman and an auditor in the city.
They have identified the arrested as Asadulla Khan (37), Imran (27), Gafar (49), Azmal (28), Akram (26) and Wahid (27).
The police have also seized a four-wheeler allegedly used to carry out the crime and three cell phones.
When the woman visited a shop in Shivamogga on May 10 to recharge her phone, the six persons allegedly abducted her.
She was allegedly taken to a farmhouse in Dummalli village where she was forced to call the auditor, a family friend.
After the auditor reached there, he was allegedly assaulted.
Their abductors allegedly forced both of them to pose in compromising positions and demanded that they pay Rs. 50 lakh.
They threatened them saying that they would upload the pictures on social media if they did not pay.
The victims were allegedly released after they promised to pay Rs. 2.5 lakh. The victims were admitted to a private hospital in the city and they had lodged a complaint with the Kote police station.
The police have booked cases under Sections 364 (abduction), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 504(intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
