BENGALURU, 1 APRIL

The City Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths have arrested a school teacher and two associates including a rowdy-sheeter for setting up a honeytrap to extort money from a businessman in the city.

The trio has been identified as rowdy-sheeter Ganesh Kale and Sagar More from Vijayapura and Shruti, a private preschool teacher in Bengaluru.

According to the police, Shruti met the businessman in 2023 when he enrolled his children in the preschool she was running in Mahalakshmi Layout. Over time, they became close and Shruti borrowed Rs 2 lakh from him. When he asked her to return his money, she offered him partnership in the school.

The businessman and Shruti spent time together at various places. She also took another Rs 50,000 from him. In January 2025, she allegedly suggested a live-in relationship in lieu of the money she took from him.

Shruti then took another Rs 15 lakh from him and kept on demanding money. When he tried to end the relationship, Shruti called his wife on 12 March, asking her to send him to the preschool.

When the businessman went to the preschool, Ganesh Kale and Sagar More kidnapped him and demanded Rs 1 crore. They threatened to expose him before his family and even kidnap his wife. Eventually, they settled for Rs 20 lakh and the duo collected Rs 1.9 lakh before releasing him.

On 17 March, Shruti demanded another Rs 15 lakh. The businessman finally approached the CCB, who launched an investigation and arrested Shruti, Ganesh Kale and Sagar More.