Kannada director kidnapped, assaulted with cricket stumps, hockey sticks; actor among 11 held

The accused persons also robbed the director, TA Anish, of the gold ornaments he was wearing, along with ₹30,000 in cash.

Eleven people, including an actress, were arrested in Bengaluru in connection with the alleged kidnapping, assaulting and robbing a Kannada film director, police said on Thursday.

Kannada actress and social media influencer, Aishwarya (R), was among the 11 arrested in the kidnapping and assault of director TA Anish. (Instagram/ash_melo_skyler)

The victim, TA Anish, filed a complaint at the Adugodi police station on February 11, authorities said, news agency PTI reported.

The incident stems from a financial dispute between Anish and an investor in his unreleased new film. And among those arrested is a female actor, identified as Aishwarya, aka Ash Melo, who is also a social media influencer, police added.

In his complaint, Anish stated that he had directed a new film titled 'Jeevanada Bhashe', which is yet to be released. However, the situation grew tense after an investor in the film, along with an associate, developed a financial dispute with the director.

Anish had reportedly moved from Bengaluru to Mumbai about two months ago.

During this time, he informed a female actor friend, a resident of Bengaluru's Indiranagar, that he was planning to sell his car. Through the actress, the accused learned of Anish's plans and told him they would help him sell the car, a senior police officer was cited as saying by news agency PTI.

The accused called Anish from Mumbai to Bengaluru on February 9. Following this, they asked the director to come to a location within the Adugodi police station limits, the officer added.

On the same night, the accused allegedly kidnapped Anish in a car, took him to a house within the Byadarahalli police station jurisdiction, where they confined him wrongfully.

In that house, around five to six persons allegedly used cricket stumps and hockey sticks to assault Anish, following which they robbed him of the gold ornaments he was wearing, along with ₹30,000 in cash, police said.

After assaulting and robbing the director, the accused took Anish by car to Mandaragiri Hill near Panditanahalli in Tumakuru district, where two more persons joined them and assaulted the victim again.

Based on Anish's complaint, a case of kidnapping and assault was registered at Adugodi police station. "During the investigation, police pursued multiple angles and secured a total of 11 accused, including one woman, involved in the crime," the officer added.

Additionally, police seized six mobile phones used in the offence, gold ornaments, a car and cash from the accused.

The accused persons were produced in a court, which remanded them to custody. Police said that further investigation into the matter is underway.

The incident comes just days after a Kannada television actress alleged that she was secretly filmed in a stadium washroom during a celebrity event in Bengaluru and was later threatened with online circulation of the video if she failed to pay.

The actress had said in her complaint that she recently went to a three-day Celebrity Women Cricket Tournament event in Bengaluru at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium.

When she went out to use the women's restroom inside the stadium, an unknown individual recorded "obscene and indecent video" of her without her knowledge.