Eight, including constable, arrested for abducting CEO of BPO for ransom

In a late-night operation, the Southeast Division Police rescued the owner of a BPO company in Koramangala who was abducted by a gang posing as police officers and extorted ₹18.90 lakh from him.

Eight persons, including a police constable serving in the Kolar district, have been arrested.

The incident took place around midnight on Friday when the accused barged into a call centre operated by Pavan. They claimed to be police personnel conducting a cybercrime inspection.

The BPO, which works with US-based clients, functions throughout the night.

According to police, the gang accused the employees of cyber fraud, threatened them, and forced Pavan into a vehicle on the pretext of taking him for inquiry. Instead, they drove him to Malur, where he was held hostage for nearly three hours. The suspects demanded money, and when Pavan was unable to withdraw cash, they forced him to transfer ₹18.90 lakh into certain bank accounts they provided to Pavan.

Meanwhile, employees at the call centre grew suspicious alerted the police. Pavan also managed to send a distress message. Around 3 a.m., the city’s emergency helpline 112 received the complaint.

Police teams tracked the movement of the accused and managed to locate both the abductors and the victim within hours. All eight accused were arrested, and two cars used in the crime were seized.

Police have said further investigation is on to determine whether the gang was involved in similar offences earlier.