TV actress Varshini Venkat held for assaulting friend, extorting ₹5.5 lakh in Chennai
Police said Venkat and her associates allegedly demanded money from the stock trader after assaulting him at his lodge in August.
In Chennai, a 28-year-old television actress named Varshini Venkat was recently arrested for allegedly assaulting her acquaintance, a stock trader, and coercing him to pay ₹5.5 lakh, police revealed on Wednesday. According to the report, Venkat, along with her friends, had invited Tharun, the stock trader, to invest money in a short film they were producing. However, Tharun declined the offer.
On August 22, when Tharun returned to his lodge early in the morning after being out, Venkat, her friend Sanjay, and two others allegedly attacked Tharun and compelled him to hand over ₹50,000 in cash. Later, under duress, Tharun transferred ₹3 lakh to Venkat's bank account and another ₹2 lakh to Sanjay's account.
The extortion did not end there; Sanjay continued to threaten Tharun for an additional ₹27 lakh. Following a complaint lodged by Tharun, the Guindy police registered a case and initiated an investigation. Upon cross-checking Tharun's bank records, it was confirmed that money had indeed been transferred to Venkat's account.
Actress Varshini Venkat (28), who resides in Mylapore, was arrested on Tuesday. During the arrest, an iPhone was seized. After a thorough inquiry, Venkat was presented before the court and was remanded to judicial custody. The police are currently searching for her friends who were allegedly involved in the crime.
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