Tue Jan 28 15:18:18 UTC 2025: ## Trio Arrested for ₹6 Crore Carlton Towers Fire Extortion Scam
**Bengaluru, January 28, 2025** – The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested three individuals – a couple and their friend – for allegedly extorting ₹6 crore from a realtor who was a witness in the Carlton Towers fire tragedy. The accused, identified as Rekha (38), Manjunath Achari (40), and Chethan, defrauded the realtor by promising him a share of a purported ₹25 crore payment offered by the Carlton Towers association to witnesses in exchange for turning hostile.
The trio claimed the money was deposited in a bank account frozen by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) department, convincing the realtor to pay ₹5.7 crore for its release. Police investigations revealed that the accused had transacted a staggering ₹24 crore through a single bank account over the last two years. Following the realtor’s payment, the accused disappeared.
Rekha was apprehended in Hosakote, Manjunath in K.R. Puram, and Chethan in Sakaleshpura. Further investigations revealed Rekha’s history of fraud, including a previous incident where she extorted ₹31 lakh from a private firm employee through blackmail. All three are currently in police custody and are facing further investigation.
First Piper 