PANJIM: A businessman who was kidnapped late Friday night was rescued in less than 24 hours as the police swung into action soon after the complaint. The kidnappers, all hailing from Karnataka, have been arrested.
Harish Kumar Solanki, proprietor of a plywood and hardware store at Vasco was kidnapped from outside his business house in Vasco at around 10.15 pm on Friday. The men, three in number, then called his brother demanding Rs 10 lakh ransom.
“The brother of the victim received a call from the kidnappers demanding Rs 10 lakh. They threatened to kill him if the ransom was not paid. The police were informed and we immediately held nakabandis and patrolling. Simultaneously, the victim’s brother arranged for the ransom. We were keeping track of every movement of the accused,” Vasco Police Inspector Nolasco Raposo told Herald.
The kidnappers changed the location to collect the ransom from Cortalim to Verna and other places whilst police kept track of the movements.
Panicking over strict security across the town, the PI said that the kidnappers dumped the kidnapped businessman and the car near Utorda. “The victim was abandoned along with his phone through which he managed to call his family. The accused by then fled through the fields,” Raposo added, stating that their search for the accused continued and victim was taken to Goa Medical College and Hospital for examination. He was not hurt during the kidnapping period.
As per information, police first nabbed Rajendra Kumar while he was attempting to flee Goa on a Mumbai bound train from Tivim railway station on Saturday. His confession led to the arrests of Salim Khan, a private bouncer and mastermind Abdul Kadar.
Raposo, who led the team, said the accused kept a close watch of Solanki’s movements for three days before executing the crime. They have been booked under Section 364-A kidnap for ransom and other sections of IPC.
