Kannada filmmaker TA Anish kidnap case widens as actor-influencer Aishwarya among 11 arrested

Highlights

• Director TA Anish attacked with sticks after alleged financial dispute
• Actor and social media influencer among 11 people arrested
• Police say robbery, extortion attempt, and kidnapping charges filed

Alleged assault linked to money dispute

Police in Bengaluru have arrested 11 people, including a woman actor and social media influencer, in connection with the alleged kidnapping and assault of Kannada filmmaker TA Anish.

Investigators said the attack followed a financial dispute involving an unpaid loan of ₹2.5 lakh and disagreements over an investment of about ₹5–6 lakh in Anish’s unreleased film Jeevanada Bhashe.

Complaint filed after hospital admission

Anish, who runs the modeling and casting agency Aneesh Creations, reported the incident after being admitted to hospital with injuries to his hands and legs. The case surfaced when the hospital flagged it as a medico-legal matter.

Originally from Tamil Nadu, he had moved to Mumbai roughly two months before the incident.

Attack after meeting over car sale

According to police, Anish had informed an acquaintance, actor Aishwarya, about plans to sell his Honda CR-V. After traveling from Mumbai to Bengaluru on February 9, he met her and two others near Indiranagar.

On the pretext of inspecting the car and paying an advance, he was taken to a house where he was allegedly confined. Police said five to six people then assaulted him with cricket stumps and hockey sticks, demanding he withdraw earlier complaints tied to the financial dispute.

Robbery and further assault alleged

Investigators said the group stole gold jewelry weighing about 22 grams and ₹30,000 in cash. He was later driven to an isolated area near Mandaragiri Hill in Tumakuru district, where two more people allegedly joined the assault.

Police also said the accused tried to extort ₹5 lakh and withdrew ₹5,500 from his bank account using his ATM card before leaving him at a hospital.

Arrests and ongoing probe

Authorities registered charges including kidnapping, wrongful confinement, assault, and robbery at Adugodi police station.

Police said six mobile phones, the stolen gold items, a car, and cash have been recovered. The accused were presented in court and remanded to custody, while investigators continue to piece together the full sequence of events.