Ex-MLA Varthur Prakash’s aide and brother grilled in kidnap case

BENGALURU: Special teams probing ex-Minister Varthur Prakash’s alleged kidnap case on Thursday interrogated Nayaz and his brother Siraj who handed over the ransom to kidnappers who demanded Rs 30 crore.A police officer said Nayaz, a cattle trader, said that he had known Prakash for several years.

On November 26, Prakash contacted Nayaz over phone and asked him to bring Rs 50 lakh to be given to people he knew. Nayaz contacted his brother Siraj, who arranged Rs 40 lakh and handed it over to the gang near a coffee shop in Narasapura. But Prakash said in his complaint that he gave Rs 48 lakh to the gang.

Their statements have been recorded and the police are checking CCTV footage.Meanwhile, police have taken four suspects in for questioning. Police said that eight days after the incident, Prakash was hiding something and he was not responding to questions.

“We are probing the call from all angles including land dispute, financial rivalry and whether any honey-trap gang is involved in the crime,” the police officer added.On November 29, Varthur Prakash alleged that he and his driver were abducted from near his farm house on November 25 and a gang of eight men brutally attacked them.