A gang of four, including a landlord, allegedly locked up a woman assistant revenue officer of the BBMP and other staff in the office premise in RPC Layout near Vijayanagar on Saturday. Police arrested the prime accused Shivakumar soon after the incident came to light. Property dispute is said to be the reason.
BBMP staff on Monday staged a protest demanding strict action against the accused.
A police officer from Vijayanagar police station said that based on a complaint by Nirmala S.M., 55, an assistant revenue officer, the accused had been arrested.
The officer, in her complaint, alleged that she was locked up along with her staff from 5 p.m. till 10 p.m. Shivakumar, along with his associates Sachin, Omkar N. and Dakshinamurthy, came to the office in the evening and demanded documents related to a plot situated in Hosahalli. As he sought documents from 2003-04, the staff asked for a few days’ time.
But Shivakumar was allegedly not ready to listen and he locked the gate from outside. His associates allegedly snatched mobile phones and other belongings. The staff were told that they would not be allowed to leave until the documents were produced, she said in her complaint.
The family members, who tried to call the staff on their phones, reached the office around 10.30 p.m. They recorded the incident on video before alerting the police.
Shivakumar was arrested from his house while his associates are at large. Efforts are on to nab the accused.