Shop employee kidnapped, set free after ransom in Surat

SURAT: An employee of a cloth shop was robbed by two thugs in Varachha area of the city on March 16. The duo approached him saying that they were cops and took him to a deserted place in an autorickshaw where they beat him up and demanded Rs1 lakh for his release. Ultimately, they let him go after taking Rs55,000 and escaped from the spot. The victim registered a police complaint at Varachha police station against the thugs on Thursday.
Narendrasinh Rajput was going from Labheswar in Varachha on March 16 when he was accosted by the thugs, who claimed to be cops. The duo said they have information that he was carrying two small bottles of liquor on him. The duo beat him up before handcuffing and bundling him in an autorickshaw that drove through Kapodra, Sarthana and Yogi Chowk to stop at a deserted lane. They took his Rs1,000 and demanded Rs1 lakh for release. Rajput said he didn’t have that much money, but the duo asked him to get it from anyone. Rajput then called a friend, who came with Rs55,000 and gave it to the thugs. The duo allowed the victim to go with his friend and escaped in their autorickshaw.

A police officer said they have obtained some CCTV footages and are hopeful of identifying the two thugs from them. The police officer said they took the victim to the spot and reconstructed the entire incident. “We hope to catch the duo soon,” he said, adding that the police would also try to ascertain the truth in the complainant’s version of the incident.