Former boxer, aide held for kidnapping merchant

BENGALURU: A former national boxer-turned-rowdy and his associate were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a cloth merchant in Chickpet and demanding a ransom of Rs 1.5 crore to release him.

Manjunath alias Boxer Manja, who had represented Karnataka at several national-level boxing championships and won at least three competitions, and his associate Ramu had abducted Kailash Jain on October 25.

Kailash had borrowed Rs 1.5 crore from his business partner Babu Lal, but later they had a financial dispute. When Kailash refused to return the cash, Babu Lal approached Manja and asked him to detain him in an internet service centre in Mamoolpet. Manja and Ramu, both residents of Jayanagar, abducted Kailash and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not return Babu’s money. Also, they demanded Rs 3 lakh from Kailash before releasing him from four-hour captivity. Later, Kailash approached the Central Crime Branch and filed a complaint, based on which police arrested Manja.

Manja had worked with Ravi alias Cycle Ravi, a gangster, and was involved in settling financial disputes. Later, he formed his gang and operated in Chickpet and Majestic, extorting money from businessmen. CCB police have booked Babu Lal for hiring Manja to recover money illegally.