Teenagers were shadowed for days

“A Central Crime Branch Police team arrested six persons and recovered one Maruti Omni car, one Santro car, one toy pistol, one gold Ganesha pendant, two button knives and six mobile phones from the suspects. The entire episode was masterminded by a few activists of Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) to mobilise funds for the organisation’s operations,” Home and Transport Minister R Ashoka told a press conference here on Wednesday.

According police, the suspects decided to abduct Sudheendra as his father was a rich businessman. They wanted to collect Rs five crore ransom, donate Rs 2.5 crore to KFD and distribute the remaining Rs 2.5 crore among themselves.

3 attempts in vain

Adil and Ataulla Khan indicated Sudheendra to other suspects near the college recently. The suspects made three attempts to abduct him, but failed as Sudheendra was with his friends. They learnt Sudheendra would come to college to appear for examinations. They checked out details from the time table displayed on the notice board. As per the schedule, Sudheendra was to appear for last paper on June 8.

They spotted Sudheendra near a garden close to the college walking with Vighnesh towards the examination hall. They decided to abduct Vighnesh as well fearing he might disclose their identities. After abduction, they took the two boys in a Maruti car owned by Saffeer to Kousar’s house in Mysore. Using Sudheendra’s mobile phone, they called Mohan Kumar the same evening and demanded ransom of Rs five crore. They did not contact Vighnesh’s parents to mislead the police and make them suspect Vighnesh behind Sudheendra’s kidnap.

Through a KSRTC driver at Madikeri, they sent a letter purported to be written by Sudheendra to his father on June 10, asking his father to free him from abductors by arranging the ransom. The abductors kept a strict vigil on Mohan Kumar’s movements. They presumed they might not get ransom as Mohan Kumar had already approached police and decided to kill both the students.

Sedated and killed

They offered liquid food mixed with some sedatives to the Sudheendra and Vighnesh, and strangled them, using ropes. They stabbed both of them above the heart, causing deep injuries and threw the bodies on the roadside in Agalaguriki, Chikkaballapur on June 12 and fled. Tipped off, the police inter­cepted two cars near Bangalore University in Jnanabharathi area and arrested the suspects.