Group of armed men ransack condiments shop, demanding “protection money”

A group of 10 armed men ransacked a condiments shop situated in Anjanaura, assaulted the owner, throwing chilli powder at him, when the owner of the shop objected to their demand to pay up “protection money “ on Monday.

In a swift action, the Hoysala patrolling police, based on the complaint by the shopkeeper, reached the spot and detained few people while others managed to escape. Efforts are on to trace them, a police officer said.

According to the complainant, the owner of the Bramhalingeshwara Juice and Condiments shop, Sudhakar Shetty, three accused came to the shop as customers and took cigarettes and snacks.

They started ransacking the shop and assaulted Shetty and his brother when they asked for money for the purchase. Soon, others joined and ransacked the shop and threw chilli powder into the eyes of the brother of the shop owner. The accused started hurling abuses and created a ruckus, demanding that Shetty pay ₹40,000 as protection money every month and threatening him with dire consequences if he failed to pay. The accused even tried to attack Shetty when he objected to their behaviour, but he managed to escape before calling the control room for help.