BENGALURU
A 27-year-old textile businessman, Subham Shukla, a resident of Bagalagunte, has been arrested for allegedly duping a woman of gold and cash worth over ₹75 lakh and sexually assaulting her minor sister. The Bagalagunte police have registered two separate cases against him — one under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for theft in a dwelling (Section 305) and cheating (Section 318), and another under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for the rape of a 16-year-old girl.
A senior police officer said the complaint was lodged by the victims’ father. Following his arrest, Shukla has been remanded in judicial custody, and further investigations are underway. Police said the accused runs a textile store in the city and was well known to the family. Both families hail from Rajasthan and have been residing in Bengaluru for several years.
According to the complaint, Shukla initially befriended the younger sister and later trapped the 21-year-old woman in a relationship by promising to marry her. The two reportedly lived together in an apartment in Bagalagunte for nearly 18 months. During this period, Shukla allegedly coerced the woman into parting with large sums of money and repeatedly stole valuables from her house, including around 550 grams of gold ornaments and cash amounting to ₹75 lakh.
The victim’s father further alleged that when his daughter discovered Shukla was already married and had sexually abused her minor sister, the accused confined her in a dark room for nearly four months. Police said Shukla allegedly gained the family’s trust by posing as a close friend and was also reportedly involved with other women. He is accused of cheating the complainant’s younger daughter of ₹1.5 lakh by misusing her credit card.
After allegedly draining the woman financially, Shukla is said to have harassed her and eventually driven her out of the house following a dispute. The woman later took shelter at her grandmother’s residence and returned home on November 1. When the family attempted to contact Shukla for an explanation, he was reportedly unreachable.
With the help of an acquaintance, the woman traced Shukla’s location through mobile data near Sankey Tank in Sadashivanagar. Subsequently, the father filed a complaint at the Sadashivanagar police station, which was transferred to Bagalagunte police on December 13.
Police said Shukla has confessed to taking about 200 grams of gold and a few lakh rupees in cash. “We are verifying online transactions and cash payments to ascertain the exact amount involved,” a senior police officer said.
