Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 31: City crime branch police personnel, who have been investigating a case of attempt to murder, have taken into custody a cinema director named Harish, along with two other rowdy sheeters. It is said that Harish had hired rowdy sheeters, Sathish and Suresh, for murdering a person named Ashok. An accomplice of the accused, Shekhar, also stands arrested.

As per information collected by the police, people who had invested in the movie, 'Style King', had been demanding their money back. As the film had failed miserably at the box office, those associated with the film were finding it hard to pay back to the creditors. The creditors had thereafter utilized the services of a person named Ashok as middleman to hold discussions with Harish and pressurize him into repaying the money. Harish, who had decided against paying full money as demanded, reportedly planned murder of Ashok.

Harish had directed a film in 2016 with Chikkanna as its hero. Producer, Ramesh, had also borrowed money from his niece, Suma, for producing this film but this film had failed. Suma demanded her money back but Ramesh argued that she had put her money into the film as investment and it was not a loan. He finally said he is not involved with financial dealings and directed her to contact director, Harish, to get her money back. Police say that Suma later tried to recover the money she had lent through a friend of hers named Ashok.

Ashok reportedly was blackmailing Harish into paying back a sum of ten lac rupees including Rs 6.5 lac as interest on Rs 3.5 lac lent by Suma. He also got Suma to file a complaint in Tavarekere police station against Harish. About six weeks back, both sides had met at Tavarekere police station where discussions were held and Harish agreed to repay Rs 3.5 lac to Suma. Harish reportedly kept this promise.

Ashok continued to pester Harish for payment balance money. Angry over this behaviour, Harish had hired his friends, Sathish and Suresh to kill Ashok. Sathish and Suresh, along with their accomplice named Shekhar, intercepted a car in which Ashok was travelling at a spot within the limits of Annapoorneshwari polcie station on Saturday July 29. Ashok escaped from the attack, fled into the police station, and filed complaint, duly naming the accused. The city crime branch police who began investigation, arrested all the four, who have since been remanded to judicial custody.