Former Karnataka MLC Kidnapped and Freed After Multi‑Crore Ransom Demand

Police say the case stems from a money dispute involving a suspect named Praveen, with teams dispatched to Kerala to arrest those identified in the complaint

Overview

Dayananda Reddy was intercepted while returning from the Gold Coin Club in the early hours of Tuesday and held at gunpoint for several hours before being released.
The abductors claimed a ₹10 crore contract to kill Reddy and negotiated a ransom that fell from ₹3 crore to ₹2 crore when he said he could not access funds until banks opened.
Reddy filed a complaint at Attibele police station and Bengaluru Rural Police have registered an FIR for kidnapping, criminal intimidation and extortion and formed special investigation teams.
Police say suspects used a staged gift (a cotton box), a Kerala‑registered red car and a motorcycle to intercept Reddy, forced his driver to the back seat, and released Reddy at about 4:45 a.m. after giving him a contact number.
Investigators have identified four accused with two believed hiding in the city and two who fled to Kerala, and they say an Ola driver named Praveen is a suspected principal conspirator in a possible financial dispute; arrests are pending and cross‑state cooperation is under way.