BENGALURU: Haniyur Chandregowda, a 46-year-old member of the Child Welfare Committee in Ramanagara, has been arrested for allegedly blackmailing a woman with her explicit photos and videos and forcing her into a sexual relationship, police said on Saturday. Chandregowda was arrested following a complaint lodged by a 43-year-old make-up artist at the Rajarajeshwari Nagar police station on April 30. Police said obscene photos of several other women were also found on Chandregowda’s mobile phone during examination. According to the FIR, the woman first met Chandregowda in 2021. He allegedly told her that he had connections in the television industry and took her phone number on the pretext of offering her make-up assignments. The complainant had been living separately from her husband for around eight years. She alleged that Chandregowda began visiting her frequently, claimed he was a lecturer earning a good salary, and promised to marry her. He subsequently entered into a physical relationship with her. Police said Chandregowda later used private photos and videos of their intimate moments to threaten her. He allegedly warned that he would make them public if she did not comply with his demands, and continued the relationship under coercion. The FIR further stated that in 2024, Chandregowda rented a house using the woman’s documents while falsely claiming to be her husband. The woman also alleged that he used a fake identity card, posing as a Superintendent of Police, to evade toll payments. She claimed that Chandregowda had taken around Rs 5 lakh from her since 2021 and had not returned the money. According to the complaint, he also got his name added to the educational documents of the woman’s daughter by falsely presenting himself as her husband. Based on the complaint, police registered a case under sections 69 (sexual intercourse by deceitful means) and 204 (impersonating a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was subsequently arrested, a senior police officer said.
