Bengaluru, July 7 (IANS) A group of 11 people kidnapped and brutally assaulted a man, accused of being a jilted lover, for allegedly sending an obscene and threatening message to his former girlfriend, a minor, in the Soladevanahalli police station limits on the outskirts of Bengaluru, said officials on Monday.

The police have arrested seven persons in this connection and also taken the former girlfriend of the assaulted youth into custody and sent her to a remand home. The police have launched a hunt for the remaining three.

A video of the assault went viral on social media. The case has drawn comparisons to the horrifying murder of Renukaswamy by Kannada actor Darshan, which was allegedly committed over obscene messages sent to his partner Pavithra Gowda.

According to the police, Kushal, the jilted lover, had sent threatening and obscene messages to his former girlfriend and pressured her to meet him. The two were in a relationship for two years.

The girl reportedly shared the messages with her friends, and together they hatched a plan to assault him. She lured Kushal to Bagalagunte, where the accused kidnapped him.

They took him to an isolated spot in Alur and brutally assaulted him using sticks and iron rods. The video shows the gang kicking him, forcing him to strip, and beating him.

The footage also shows two to three men holding Kushal down while others continue the assault. The gang allegedly threatened him that if he reported the incident, the videos would be made public.

The video further shows the minor girl, also the ex-girlfriend, leading the group, pointing fingers at Kushal, and scolding him during the assault.

After the video surfaced, Kushal lodged a complaint with the police. Acting swiftly, the police arrested all the accused persons involved in the incident.

Reacting to the development, Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated on Monday that the accused in the case have been arrested.

–IANS

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