Actor and a past contestant of reality TV show Bigg Boss Kannada, Pradeep — better known by his screen name ‘Tsunami’ Kitty — was arrested on Saturday for allegedly abducting two people at gunpoint and torturing them at a farmhouse on February 28. The police also arrested three of his associates, Arjun, 29, Santosh, 24, and Yogesh, 25, in connection with the case. However, the prime accused in the case, Kitty’s friend Sunil is absconding, and the police are yet to track the second victim who was abused.
The police arrested the four men after one of the victims, Girish, 27, who works in a bar and restaurant at Jnanabharathi locality filed a complaint on Friday. He said he was grabbed at knifepoint by Kitty, 28, Sunil and other men on February 28. They allegedly dragged him into a car, took him to a farmhouse at Horamavu, and tortured him for a day.
The accused thought that he was having a relationship with Sunil’s wife, Deepa, who was a regular customer at the bar and restaurant, and would often call Girish directly to book a table for lunch and dinner. “Deepa was always with another person, Thoushith, who was also abducted and tortured by the accused,” said the police. “Sunil suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair, and when he accessed her phone, he saw the calls she had made to Girish. Sunil was friends with Kitty, and together they decided to attack Girish.”
Girish told investigators that he pleaded with his attackers and tried to tell them that he knew Deepa only as a patron of the restaurant. However, they allegedly beat him up and slashed him with the knife. Unable to bear the torture, he told them about Deepa’s friend Thoushith whose phone number he had. The gang reportedly tracked Thoushith that day itself and brought him to the farmhouse.
According to Girish, Kitty stabbed Thoushith multiple times and put the gun at his head, threatening to shoot him. After hours of torture, they finally let Girish to go, after taking his wallet, mobile phone and driving licence.
Girish managed to contact his friends, got admitted to a private hospital to treat his injuries, and contacted the police. “We have taken up a case against Kitty, Sunil and 12 others, charging them with abduction, attempt to murder, and robbery,” said a senior police officer. “Prime accused Sunil is absconding and efforts are on to recover the gun used.”
The police are also on the lookout for Thoushith after the accused confessed that they had let him off.
