Bengaluru woman kidnapped, stripped and filmed over unpaid loan – two women among three arrested

In a chilling case that has rattled Bengaluru, a 30‑year‑old woman was snatched, stripped and filmed because she could not meet the interest on two personal loans. The incident, which unfolded between August 27 and August 31, ended only after the victim managed to signal the police while pretending to go to the toilet.

According to the FIR, the woman had borrowed ₹50,000 from a man identified as Nazath on a weekly‑repayment plan and another ₹1 lakh from a woman called Reshma Banu about two years earlier. Financial strain meant she fell behind on recent instalments, a fact that apparently angered the lenders.

On August 27, she was summoned to Nazath’s house in Metro Layout under the pretext of some work. Once inside, Reshma, her husband Suhail and a couple of accomplices entered, brandished a knife, beat her with a stick, smashed her mobile phone and forced her and her young son into an autorickshaw bound for Kumbalgodu.

There, the victim says she was locked in a room for two days, threatened with the circulation of a private video if she did not pay an alleged ₹11 lakh (principal plus interest), and was even compelled to strip partially while being recorded on a mobile phone. She was later taken to a nearby lawyer, coerced into signing papers and then returned to the hideout.

When she finally slipped away to use the bathroom, she whispered a plea for help. Police, acting on the tip, stormed the house, rescued her and took her to Chandra Layout Police Station, where she filed the complaint.

The investigation led to the arrest of three suspects – Nazath, Reshma Banu and Suhail – while authorities continue to hunt down additional alleged accomplices who remain at large.

This disturbing episode highlights the dark side of informal lending and underscores the need for stricter enforcement against extortion and gender‑based violence.