The Hebbal police on Friday registered an FIR against the owner of a mobile phone shop and four of his associates for allegedly holding an 18-year-old PU student against his will and torturing him for two days.
The accused who claimed that the victim, Abdul Ahad, had stolen from them, released him with instructions to return with ₹60,000. The teenager who needed medical care approached the police with his family members and lodged a complaint.
In his statement, Mr. Ahad said that along with his PU studies, he had taken up a job as a salesman at a mobile phone sales and service shop in Sultanpalya.
On February 23, the owner accused him of stealing valuable items from the shop. He, along with four of his associates, took the teenager to a room near the shop where they kept him prisoner. They allegedly tortured him for days. In his statement, Mr. Ahad said that they told him he owed them ₹60,000.
They finally let him go on February 25 and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not return with the money. “We are verifying the veracity of the complaint and at the same time looking out for the shop owner and his associates to question them,” said a police officer.
