Chikkaballapura (PTI): A 34-year-old Yoga teacher faked her death using breathing techniques and saved herself after allegedly being assaulted, strangled and then buried by a group of people who assumed she was dead, police said on Friday.
Five people, including a woman identified as Bindu and her friend named Satish Reddy who runs a detective agency in Bengaluru, have been arrested in connection with the incident, they said.
"Bindu suspected her husband of having an affair with the Yoga teacher and asked Reddy to keep a tab on the woman and her proximity to him. As part of the plan, Reddy allegedly befriended the victim some three months ago on the pretext of taking Yoga classes from her and during this period, he managed to gain her confidence," a police official said.
In her complaint, the victim alleged that on the pretext of showing some places around the city on October 23, he came to her house near Dibburahalli and took her in a car in which three other men were also present.
She alleged that they took her to a secluded spot on the outskirts of the city and allegedly stripped and assaulted her.
According to her, she was thrashed, threatened and strangled using a cable. She claimed that she played along, pretended to be unconscious and faked her death using breathing techniques.
"Assuming the woman died, the accused allegedly dug a pit and covered her body with thin layers of soil because they were in a hurry and feared to be caught. But before leaving, they took away all her gold jewellery," a senior police officer said.
She claimed that she later managed to wriggle out of the pit and with the help of some villagers, got clothes and managed to reach the police station to file a complaint, he said.
The woman was sent for a medical examination as per procedure and admitted to a hospital.
"Based on the complaint, we registered a case under sections of kidnapping, attempt to murder and other appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Based on the investigation, we arrested five people, including Reddy and Bindu, on November 6," the officer said.
The vehicle in which the victim was kidnapped was allegedly stolen from Bengaluru, police said, adding, the victim's jewellery has also been recovered with the arrests.
"We are trying to verify all the claims made by the victim. There were also some online money transactions between Bindu and the associates and we are investigating the money trail also," he added.
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Malegaon (Maharashtra), Nov 23: In a closely contested election, Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has retained the Malegaon Central assembly seat, winning by a razor-thin margin of 162 votes.
This victory in the north Maharashtra constituency marks a significant turnaround for Khalique, who previously enjoyed a commanding lead in the 2019 elections, winning by over one lakh votes.
Khalique, an Islamic scholar, received a total of 1,09,653 votes this time, narrowly defeating his nearest rival, Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra party, who got 1,09,491 votes.
There were a total of 13 candidates contesting in this Muslim dominated constituency. Barring Khalique and Rasheed, two other candidates -- Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed of Samajwadi Party and Ejaz Baig Aziz Baig managed below 10,000 votes. Other remaining candidates were below 1,000 votes.
This election marks Khalique's third term as an MLA. He initially represented the Malegaon Central seat in 2009 as a member of the Jan Surajya Shakti party.
However, Khalique faced a setback in the 2014 elections when he contested under the banner of the Nationalist Congress Party and lost.
His return to the assembly in 2019 under the AIMIM banner solidified his political presence, and despite the significantly reduced margin this year, he has once again emerged victorious.
The results highlight the competitive nature of the Malegaon Central constituency and underscore Khalique's resilience in maintaining his position amidst changing political dynamics.