To get a quick break from their daily routine, people tend to take a one-day trip to nearby towns to unwind and refresh. However, a few unlucky events could ruin your vacation. A few students who travelled to Madikeri for a day faced a similar situation. Five students from Bengaluru experienced a nightmare in Madikeri, Karnataka, after a self-drive car rental agency accused them of speeding, assaulted them, and extorted money.
Assault & Extortion By Car Rental Agency In Madikeri
The Chandra Layout police have apprehended three individuals in connection with the self-drive car rental extortion and assault incident, as reported by the Times of India.
On November 16, Akash (the name of the student has been changed), a fifth-semester BBA student from Mathikere, and four friends booked a car for a trip. They paid Vinod, the rental agency employee, ₹500 as a commission via a digital payment app. The KIA Sonet was rented by these friends, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Additionally, Nithin, another employee, took Akash’s laptop as a security deposit, which allowed these friends to rent the car. The staff member also cautioned the students that a fine of ₹1,200 per violation would be applied if the car exceeded the speed of 100 km/hr.
On the evening of November 17, once their journey was over, the group returned the vehicle. Vinod escorted Akash and his friend Prem to a Maruthinagar office for a car inspection. At this point, things took a turn for the worse when Vinod, Shashank, and others alleged that the kids had violated the speed limit 120 times, but when Akash requested them to provide evidence, they could only produce three screenshots of the violation. The reports mentioned that the accused demanded ₹1.2 lakh in fines.
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The Assault & Threat Faced By The Students
Akash was beaten after the accused allegedly trapped him and Prem in an office and threatened them with a knife. The accused coerced Prem and Akash into transferring ₹15,000 and ₹35,000 via QR code, which they borrowed from their friends.
They held Akash until late, intimidated him, and demanded ₹25,000 more, but the transaction fell through. The remaining students were likewise given death threats.
Later, a scared Akash told his uncle and lodged a police report, which resulted in Vinod, Shashank, and Nithin being taken into custody. They also found Akash’s laptop and ₹30,000. According to the Times of India, the students merely overspeeded three times, and the scuffles were a ruse to get money.
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Two other individuals are being sought in connection with the crime by the authorities.
Cover Image Credit: Canva Pro
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