Dubai man’s missing case leads Bengaluru cops to uncover kidnap bid

Bengaluru: Investigations into a missing case led the Ashok Nagar police in Central Bengaluru to uncover an elaborate kidnapping bid of a Dubai-based private company manager hatched by his girlfriend and her seven associates.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Hakay Akshay Machhindra announced the arrest of Mohammed Asif Risaldar, 42, Mohammed Sohail Sheikh, 25, both from RT Nagar; Salman Pasha, 22, from DJ Halli; and Mohammed Nawaz, 27, from KG Halli, on Saturday.

“The suspects are currently in police custody,” Machhindra told DH. “No prior criminal antecedents were found so far. The probe is on.”

Police said the victim, Lawrence Melwin’s girlfriend, Mahima Vat, who plotted the whole scheme, and three of her associates, Shakib, Suresh and Altaf, remained at large. For the last six years, Melwin worked in Dubai as a manager with the travel agency.

Melwin’s mother, Leena Antony, first filed a complaint on July 16, claiming that her son, who was staying at the Ritz Carlton on Residency Road after spending a few days at home, hadn’t been responding to calls since July 14. The Ashok Nagar police registered a missing persons case and launched the probe.

During the investigation, it was revealed that on the early morning of July 14, Melwin left in a car with Mahima after she repeatedly asked him to meet him. He got inside a cab allegedly booked by Mahima.

However, near Koramangala, the driver took a detour, and when Melwin questioned him, he stopped a few meters ahead, where two others got inside the car. Melwin’s face was allegedly covered with a cloth mask, and he was beaten up. The suspects allegedly took his bag containing Rs 1 lakh and also took his phone and forced him to reveal the passwords.

He was then taken to a service apartment where he was tied up and beaten. A few moments later, another suspect entered and demanded Rs 50 lakh in cash for his release. Melwin tried to negotiate down to Rs 20 lakh, but to no avail.

Melwin told the police that the suspects used to lock him inside the room and feed him before going out. Melwin even tried to starve himself, thinking they would take him to the hospital, but to no avail. When Melwin agreed to Rs 50 lakh, they allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 crore.

The case took an interesting turn on July 22 when a woman from a neighbouring apartment heard Melwin’s loud cries after his captors left. With the woman’s help, he called his sister and informed her that he was in trouble.

When his captors returned, they forced him into a car before dropping him off near Yeshwantpur. This was because the police had managed to arrest the four people who were keeping a watch on the apartment after tracing them through local intelligence. The police then rescued Melwin and, based on his complaint, filed a fresh FIR and arrested the four suspects.