Film director abducted, assaulted with cricket stumps and hockey sticks in Karnataka; actor Aishwarya among 11 arrested

BENGALURU: Eleven people were arrested for allegedly abducting a film director, brutally assaulting him and robbing him of gold ornaments and cash in a case linked to financial dispute over an under-production Kannada film.

The complainant, Anish TA, 31, a native of Tamil Nadu residing in Mumbai, had directed Kannada film Jeevanada Bashe, post-production work of which is pending.


The arrested accused are Ashirwad, Sujan, Sanjay, Lakshmi Narayan, Shahid, Aishwarya, Rehan, Arif, Dhruva, Charan and Aslan.

According to police, Lakshmi Narayan invested Rs 5-6 lakh in the film. Ashirwad worked as Anish's assistant, while Aishwarya acted in the film. Before completing post-production, Anish shifted from Bengaluru to Mumbai, reportedly leaving investors disappointed.

Police said Narayan was upset over Anish's move to shift. At the same time, Anish and Ashirwad were embroiled in a financial dispute of Rs 2.5 lakh, which Ashirwad had allegedly borrowed from him. When Anish demanded repayment, Ashirwad allegedly threatened him and refused to return the money.

A few months ago, Anish filed a police complaint and issued a legal notice to Ashirwad. Earlier this month, Anish told Aishwarya he wanted to sell his SUV. She allegedly informed Ashirwad, who asked her to tell Anish that a friend was interested in purchasing the vehicle.

Anish then drove from Mumbai to Bengaluru in the SUV. He met Aishwarya and her friend Shahid at a coffee outlet in Indiranagar. Later, on the pretext of inspecting the vehicle, he was taken by Shahid's friend to a garage. From there, Anish was allegedly taken to a house in Byadarahalli.

Police said 5-6 persons, including Ashirwad, assaulted him with cricket stumps and hockey sticks and robbed him of a gold bracelet, a ring and Rs 30,000 in cash.