In dramatic chase, bar girls' captors held

Following a complaint by the Qualis driver, the police swung into action, launching a search operation in the surrounding areas of Koramangala before catching up with the gang members who had “abducted” the bar girls. The “victims” were rescued near Bagalur on Bellary Road, but not before an exchange of gunfire in which three policemen, including an inspector, were injured.

Six members of the gang, three of whom received gunshot injuries, were arrested. They have been identified as Wasim (28), Inayat (30), Syed (36), Tippu (30), Sikandar and Javed.

According to the police, once the girls were “abducted” and the driver, Nitin, informed the bar managment of the incident, four teams were formed by the DCP to hunt down the gang.

Meanwhile, one gangster, using the mobile phone of one of the girls, contacted the hotel band master Madan Kumar, demanding Rs 4 lakh as ransom. The police managed to locate the calls to Bangalore North. While the bargaining was on, the gang kept changing location — Vidyaranyapura, Yelahanka, Ring Road, Razak Palya and Bagalur.

During the course of the intercepted conversation, the police found that the gang was led by Wasim, brother of notorious criminal Nasru (the blue car maniac) who created flutters during the late nineties and early 2000 by abducting bar girls.

Wanted in more than 60 cases, Nasru was later killed in an encounter. Learning that Wasim was the mastermind, the police moved swiftly. At one juncture the gangsters appeared to have developed cold feet, informing the hotelier that they would collect the money and complete the deal by early Sunday morning.

Even as the cops desperately looked for the car carrying the bar girls, a police team, with Nitin’s help, spotted the Qualis on Bagalur Main Road.

When the police tried to stop the vehicle, it took a U-turn and tried to escape. It smashed into another police vehicle which had reached the spot, but was immediately surrounded at Bagalur bus stop.

The gang attacked Koramangala police inspector Nagaraj and injured him.

Cornered, the gang members began brandishing swords which they used with lethal effect on constables Fakhruddin and Harinath.

It was already day break when Parapanna Agrahara police inspector Vasudeva pulled out his service revolver and fired at Wasim, injuring him in his abdomen. Syed Pasha, another gang member, also took a bullet in his right leg.

Some morning walkers initially thought there was a film shoot going on but later, realising it was a real incident, were all praise for the City police. Sources told Deccan Herald that the gang was holed up in a house in Razak Palya for more than three hours and later, when they set out to finalise the deal, were spotted.