Tiruppur District Police on Monday arrested four men in connection with the kidnapping of a youth by a seven-member gang at Kangeyam for a ransom of ₹3 crore.
According to the police, E. Sivapradeep (22) and his driver Satham Hussain were travelling in a car at Kangeyam on Sunday afternoon. The gang allegedly intercepted the car at Veeracholapuram Pirivu, kidnapped the two and stole their car.
The gang then contacted Mr. Sivapradeep’s father Eswaramoorthi, a rice mill owner, using the driver’s phone and demanded ₹ 3 crore.
On Sunday evening, Mr. Eswaramoorthi handed over the ransom to the gang on Oddanchatram-Dindigul Road, following which Mr. Sivapradeep and Mr. Hussain were released.
Mr. Eswaramoorthi visited the Kangeyam police station at around 9 p.m. on Sunday and lodged a complaint regarding the kidnapping for ransom, following which a case was registered and eight special teams were formed to trace the accused. Within 24 hours of the kidnapping, the police arrested Sakthivel (37), Augustine (45) and Balaji (38) from the Mattuthavani Bus Terminus in Madurai, and Bashir (32) from Krishnagiri.
Out of the ₹ 3 crore, a total of ₹ 1,89,94,000 was retrieved from the four accused. Efforts to nab the remaining three accused are under way, police said.
On Monday, Inspector General of Police – West Zone R. Sudhakar commended the efforts of Superintendent of Police, Tiruppur district, G. Shashank Sai and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Kangeyam) J. Kumaresan in arresting the accused. He told mediapersons that the three accused were nabbed at Madurai by 7 a.m. on Monday, less than 10 hours after the case was registered.
Mr. Sudhakar said the police were able to trace the accused through CCTV camera footages. Two of the accused – Sakthivel and Balaji – had worked at Mr. Eswaramoothi’s rice mill previously, he said. The gang members had conducted a reconnaissance at Kangeyam a week before the abduction, he added.