Fearing Misuse of Their Private Photos, Bengaluru Woman Stages Ex-Boyfriend's Phone Theft

Bengaluru: Fearing misuse of their private pictures, a 29-year-old woman in Bengaluru's Bhoganahalli staged accident-cum-robbery drama to get the possession of her former boyfriend's phone on September 20.

Following the investigation, which left the police stuned, the woman, identified as P Shruthi, was subsequently arrested on Saturday. She was arrested on the charges of dacoity.

According to media reports, she confessed of planning the crime and executing it with the support of a few men to take hold of her ex-boyfriend's mobile phone claiming it had some of her intimate photos. Apart from Shruthi, police also arrested her four aides -- Manoj Kumar, Suresh Kumar, Honnappa, and Venkatesh — all residents of Kodathi in Bengaluru.

Based on a complaint by Shruti’s ex-boyfriend Dumpa Vamshi Krishna Reddy, police zeroed in on Manoj Kumar, a painter by profession, who revealed that Shruti had paid him Rs 1.1 lakh to carry out the theft.

The probe exposed Shruti's alleged role in the crime as she lured Dumpa Vamshi Krishna Reddy to accompany her on a scooter to a designated spot on September 20 night and upon reaching there she signalled Manoj to rob them of their mobile phones. As instructed, the men stole both their phones and handed them over to Shruti later that night.

In his complaint, Reddy that stated their mobile phones were snatched by a group of men following a minor traffic altercation near a commercial store.

Reddy further stated that a car had rear-ended their bike, and two men got down the vehicle to stole their phones. However, the police later found that no accident had taken place at the reported location, but four men had intercepted the couple, and stole the phones claiming that they had hit their car.

In her statement, Shruti told police that she felt insecure after her relationship with Reddy ended and hence orchestrated the entire drama fearing that Reddy would misuse their intimate photos in future. Although Reddy had assured Shruti of deleting the photos, he refused to give her his phone, which further raised her suspicions.

However, the robbery drama didn't bear any fruit as Reddy’s phone was locked, prompting Shruti to throw the device into Singasandra Lake the next day.