Bengaluru: The Byatarayanapura Police arrested five extortionists on January 22, who had created terror in the minds of lonely travellers’ in city limits.

Suhaib Pasha and Zubair Pasha, both employed in a cloth store, Mohammed Afreed, a car accessories mechanic, Syed Sameer, a welder by profession and Mohammed Ummer, all aged 19 and residents of Jag Jeevan Ram Nagar in the city are the accused extortionists.

The accused used to target lonely travellers and threaten/attack them with lethal weapons to execute their plans during night hours in isolated darkly lit areas of the city. The police, based on a tip-off, succeeded in nabbing the accused, when they were plotting extortion between Nayandahalli Circle on Mysuru Road and Muthachari Industrial Estate at 8.30 PM.

Jewellery, 10 mobile phones and 5 two-wheelers valued at Rs 5 Lakh, were recovered from the accused extortionists.

With their arrest, police have solved 19 different cases of extortion in 6 different police station limits of the city.

All the accused have been remanded to judicial custody till January 29.