Two arrested for kidnapping trader’s daughter

GURUGRAM: Two persons were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping an eight-year-old girl from Panipat and taking her to Malda in West Bengal.

The special task force (STF) of Haryana Police tracked the abductors to the Bengal district with the help of their mobile phone locations and rescued the girl who was kept hostage in a godown there, following a 45-hour-long operation. The girl was brought back to Panipat on Monday evening even as the abductors managed to give the cops the slip.

However, the STF nabbed Saiudur Rehman from Malda and Pradeep Berman from Mumbai on Tuesday. Both were brought to Gurgaon on Wednesday and taken to STF office for interrogation. “We will produce the duo in a Panipat court,” said STF officer.

On Saturday evening, the girl was kidnapped from a park near her house in Panipat. When her parents did not find her anywhere, they lodged a complaint with the police. Her businessman father, Abdul Rehman, told cops that he suspected the hand of his former business partner — Pradeep Berman — in the kidnapping.

He told cops that Berman and he were into a fruit business together in West Bengal, but after suffering losses he shifted to Panipat with his family and set up a business there a few years ago.

“Holding Abdul responsible for the loss, Berman was demanding compensation. When the Abdul refused to pay, the accused allegedly threatened to teach him a lesson,” said inspector Jasveer Singh of STF, who was part of the operation.

Berman then contacted Saiudur, who kidnapped the girl from Panipat and took her to Malda. In the meantime, when the abductors called Abdul for ransom, the STF put the phone numbers under technical surveillance. Sources said the abductors made multiple calls, apparently from different numbers, to demand the money. The STF reportedly engaged them in bargaining and finally fixed a time and a place to hand over the amount. After the initial probe, the cops traced the abductors to Malda. Consequently, the STF rushed to Bengal.

Abdul went to the pre-decided spot with the money while the STF followed him.. However, at the last moment, the kidnappers grew suspicious and fled leaving the girl. Inspector Singh said the girl was with the kidnappers so they were very careful and decided not to use any force. “We had decided to pay the money to free the girl from their clutches first and then catch the kidnappers,” he added.