Gang uses road rage to kidnap bizman for Rs 1-cr ransom

Police raid farmhouse on forest department tip-off, rescue him

A businessman, who was kidnapped on Saturday by a 10-member gang for a Rs one-crore ransom, has been rescued from a farmhouse where he was held captive. The police said they raided the farmhouse on Sunday, but could catch just one member of the gang.

Kuldeep Jain, 26, who runs an electrical spare parts shop on BVK Iyengar Road, was kidnapped rather deceitfully. As he was riding to his shop around 10.30 am, two unidentified men crashed their motorcycle into his two-wheeler on Goodshed Road. They picked a fight with him.

Four passersby rushed to them, pretending to solve the matter. But the situation went out of control.

The gang suggested to Jain that they go to the police station. He agreed without having the slightest inkling of the suspects’ intentions.

They all got into a car. Once Jain was in, they threatened him with lethal weapons. The car moved around Majestic before pulling away towards Sathanur in Kanakapura taluk. There they took him into a farmhouse.

Missing person complaint
Meanwhile, Jain’s brother, Sandeep, got anxious that he hadn’t turned up at the shop. He wasn’t at home either. Sandeep went to the KP Agarahara police station and lodged a missing person complaint.

Late on Saturday night, one of the kidnappers called up Sandeep and demanded Rs five lakh as ransom for his brother’s release. He threatened to kill Jain and despatch his corpse if the ransom was not paid. Other gang members, too, called up Sandeep and demanded as much as Rs one crore.

Getting on the kidnappers’ trail, the KP Agarahara police joined hands with the Central Crime Branch (CCB). They got a tip-off from an unexpected quarter.

Suspicious movement
The Forest Department alerted the Sathanur police about some suspicious movement near the farmhouse and suspected there were thieves to steal the large number of batteries stored there.

The Sathanur police rushed to the spot and raided the farmhouse but could catch just one suspect, Saravana, 26. Others fled the scene. Though Jain was rescued, his brother is still getting ransom calls from various people. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), R Ramesh, said they had leads on all the nine suspects and would arrest them soon.

Saravana told the police that their kingpin was Babu, a resident of KP Agrahara, who had plotted the kidnap.