In Bengaluru, a business rivalry escalated into violence when a woman, Nisha alias Smitha, allegedly led a gang to assault Sanju PB, a former employee who started his own salon.

BENGALURU: In what appears to be a case of business rivalry gone awry, a gang led by a woman assaulted a man Thursday and left him injured. According to police, the victim had quit his job at a salon owned by the woman and started his own business.Police have arrested Nisha alias Smitha, Kavya, and Mohammed. Kavya and Mohammed have been taken into police custody, while Nisha has been remanded in judicial custody. Search is on for two other accused.As per a complaint filed by Sanju PB, 40, owner of Royal Choice Salon and Spa on Bhuvaneshwarinagar Main Road, the gang led by Smitha, owner of a spa in Yelahanka, and accompanied by Kavya, Mohammed, and two other men, barged into his spa around 8pm. Kavya allegedly grabbed him by the collar and assaulted him. He was later assaulted by Mohammed and two other men.They pushed him into a car and drove off to Dasarahalli and Jakkur. All through the drive, Sanju was assaulted and abused. They stopped the car by the roadside in Jakkur, and the gang assaulted Sanju with a beer bottle and kicked him around. Smitha even threatened to set him ablaze.A senior police officer said Sanju’s wife, who was at the spa and witnessed the attack on her husband and him being driven away, approached Amruthahalli police for help. The gang finally abandoned Sanju in Amruthanagar around 9.30pm, after cops called Smitha and warned her. Thereafter, Sanju filed a police complaint.In the CCTV footage of his spa premises provided by Sanju, a woman could be seen smoking while assaulting Sanju, the police officer added. A case has been registered under BNS sections.Sanju was an employee at Smitha’s spa in Sahakaranagar. However, she closed the establishment eight months ago and recently opened a new one in Yelahanka. Meanwhile, Sanju quit his job with Smitha and started a spa of his own.