However, the police failed to nab the kidnappers and allowed them to escape with Rs 2000.
A gang of about six-seven members had kidnapped Sagar Wadhwani (25), owner of 'Ginger Resorts' in Goa, on December 26 near Sholapur in Maharashtra when he was on his way to Pune in a car. A day later on December 27, they demanded a ransom of Rs two crore for his release.
The abductors first took him to Belgaum, Mysore and Bangalore before finally keeping him at a lodge in Chikkaballapur. They called Sagar's father Indar Wadhwani and spelt out their demand. They continued to contact his family members insisting for early payment of ransom and threatened them with dire consequences if they sought police help.
When Wadhwani's family expressed their inability to pay Rs two crore, the kidnappers agreed to settle for Rs 35 lakh. At this juncture, they informed the police, who concluded that Wadhwani was kept somewhere in the State.
The gang told Indar Wadhwani that the payment should be made to them at Bilikere near Mysore and Sagar Wadhwani would be released soon after, police said.
Members of Wadhwani's family, along with plainclothesmen, reached the spot on Friday with a suitcase. The gang arrived in a vehicle near Belikeri later. The culprits in their hurry to take away the booty, took the suitcase, dumped Wadhwani out of the vehicle and fled, police said.
The police had camouflaged each bundle of white paper with a currency note to make the abductors believe that the suitcase contained cash. In total, they forked out only Rs 2,000 to secure the release of Wadhwani. A hunt for the kidnappers has been launched, one of them spoke Kannada, police said.
Girl rescued
Police have rescued a 20-year-old girl, who had been abducted from Bangalore, from a lodge in Kalghatagi in Dharwad district.
Police said on Saturday that Nanjundaswamy (30) had kidnapped the girl from Ganeshnagar in Tyagarajanagar police station limits with the help of his two friends to forcibly marry her. Nanjundaswamy was working in the girl's house. Acting on a complaint from the girl's parents, the police caught up with the three when they were trying to get a room in the lodge. On seeing the police, the trio escaped.
Techie's house burgled
Thieves struck at a software engineer's house by breaking open the front door when the occupants were away and decamped with Rs seven lakhs cash and gold jewellery worth about Rs 50,000 in Bannerghatta near here on Saturday.
Satyendra Shinde (40), working with Accenture, had left his house in Nisarga Layout near Jigani for City at 2:30 pm. The incident came to light when he returned at 8:30 pm. According to the police, thieves easily barged in the house without any hassles, took the key of the cupboard kept nearby and fled with the valuables. Bannerghatta police have registered a case.
Temple burgled
Thieves struck at a temple by compressing the interlock of its door and made away with a mangalya, worth Rs 8,000, in Sampigehalli police station limits here on Friday night.
The incident came to light when priest Lakshman of Chamundeshwari temple in Ashwathnagar arrived there for morning pooja around 6 am. According to Inspector Ratnakar Shetty, some minors might have committed the offence as they failed to burgle the sturdy box of offerings. A case has been registered.
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