• Source:JND
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An Indian man employed in a travel agency in Dubai and hailed from Kerala was trapped and kidnapped for ransom in Bengaluru after he came to visit his family staying at Basavanagar. Melwin received a call from a female friend for a meeting in a club, she directed him to sit in a car with its headlight blinking. 

Eager to meet, Melwin confirmed with the driver if the car was sent by the lady and sat inside. However, he became uneasy when the car did not take the route going towards the club, but moved on an unknown road where two men got into the car and started assaulting him. 

According to Ashoknagar police, Melwin visited a club in Indiranagar, and when he received a call from a woman named Mahima Watt offering a meeting, saying she would send a cab to pick him up, Times of India reported. 

"I stepped out of the club around 3 am. A cab with blinking lights stopped for me as Mahima had said. But two men later entered, assaulted me, and grabbed my bag, which contained Rs 1 lakh and two iPhones. They forced me to share the passwords of the phones," Melwin was quoted, informing police. Later, the man was taken to a service apartment where he was locked for around 8 days. 

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"A third man entered the flat and demanded Rs 50 lakh to release me. I told them that I could arrange Rs 20 lakh, but they refused. They locked me in a room and provided food," Melwin further informed. 

The assailants made Melwin send voice notes to his family members, informing them that he was in Kodagu while they raised the ransom amount to Rs 2.5 crores and threatened him with dire consequences if the demand was not met. A woman from the neighbouring flat responded to Melwin’s cries for help on July 22 when he shared his sister's number with her, with a request to inform her about his location. 

The family members filed an FIR at the Ashoknagar police station. Cops found Melwin’s mobile location at Hebbal, by then, kidnappers had suspected that their location was revealed and shifted Melwin to another location. 

"A third man entered the flat and demanded Rs 50 lakh to release me. I told them that I could arrange Rs 20 lakh, but they refused. They locked me in a room and provided food," Melwin narrated. Later police reached his phone’s location. 

Based on the information provided, police arrested four people who were working in the direction of Mahima and two others.

"We have many loose ends in the case, and the missing dots will get connected once we get Mahima and others into our custody. Presently, Mahima and two of her close friends are elusive. Special teams have gone to Mumbai and Vijayapura in search of them. It looks like a financial dispute gone wrong," an investigating officer said.

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Informing about who Mahima was, Melwin said, "We met at a party in the city (Bengaluru), and since then, we have been friends." Asked why Mahima decided to kidnap him, Melwin said he had no idea.