Rs 2 crore ransom: Bangladesh woman, three more held

CHENNAI|TRICHY|COIMBATORE: A regular case of kidnap and extortion may lead investigation into an elaborate fundamentalist network, TN police and National Investigation Agency sleuths believe. After three men including suspected Muslim radical Thoufique were detained for the kidnap of a Chennai press owner, police in Trichy and Coimbatore nabbed four others including Thoufique’s partner, a Bangladesh national, and her two-year-old son. While Chennai residents Albert and Uma Maheswaran have been sent to jail, Salma and her son were booked for illegal stay in India.
Coimbatore residents Abdul Kadar and Sikkandar, suspected to be Thoufique’s associates, have been brought to Chennai for questioning. Given the involvement of Thoufique, an NIA team is monitoring the developments and the case would soon be transferred to the central agency, said a police officer, refusing to reveal anything further about the detained people including Thoufiq.
Late on Wednesday, after finding that Thoufique, a resident of Athiramapattinam in Thanjavur district, had visited Salma in Trichy’s Manikadam area, a police team apprehended the woman and her son. Police said she did not possess any legal documents for her entry and stay in India.
Police said Thoufique had met Salma while he was in Bangladesh for allegedly illegal activities and brought her to Trichy five months ago. The two were taken to Mahatma Gandhi memorial government hospital (MGMGH) for a Covid-19 test and produced before a court on Thursday morning.
On Thursday, following information about some of Thoufique’s associates, a team of the Coimbatore police nabbed Abdul Kadar and Sikkandar. While Abdul Kadar owned two textile shops, Sikkandar was his business associate. The two were brought to Chennai. A police officer said initial inquiries suggested Sikkandar did not have anything to with the kidnapping and that he would be let off after a detailed inquiry.
On Wednesday, police had picked up Thoufique, Albert and Uma Maheswaran for the August 7 kidnap for ransom of printing press owner Diwan Akbar of Muthialpet in Mannadi, near his house. Akbar was detained at houses in Vadapalani and on ECR for a couple of days and was released after his family paid a ransom of ₹2 crore. Akbar did not lodge a complaint but the Muthialpet police got a tip about the extortion and swung into action. They later registered a case, nabbed thee men including Thoufique and launched a hunt for seven others.