The Anekal police are on the lookout for a 65-year-old water diviner who has been missing since the end of December. He is believed to have been kidnapped by six of his associates after he demanded that they return the investment he had taken on behalf of some villagers.
The gang of six allegedly approached Ramachandrachari, the victim who fails from Chudanahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, for help to find a treasure.
A few months ago, the prime accused, Venkatesh, met Ramachandrachari seeking his expertise to trace a hidden treasure and offered him a huge sum of money. He also convinced the diviner to approach people in his village for money to finance the treasure hunt. “As he was well-respected, Ramachandrachari got hundreds of people to invest in this scam, and thus the gang collected lakhs of rupees. After collecting the money, Venkatesh gave a portion of it to the diviner, who used it to buy a plot of land and a car a few months ago,” said a police officer.
After waiting for a few weeks, the villagers started asking Ramachandrachari for their money. However, when he approached them, Venkatesh and his associates allegedly abducted him.
Based on a complaint filed by his family, the Anekal police have formed a team to track down Ramachandrachari, Venkatesh and his associates.