Margao police nab kidnapper,rescue minor girl
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, SEPT 1
High drama unfolded in the Commercial Capital on Wednesday morning after a minor daughter of a city-based petrol pump owner was kidnapped for ransom of Rs 20 lakh by a minor boy from the Gogol Housing Board.
In a swift action spanning around three hours and half, the Margao police rescued the kidnapped girl from a cybercafé at Navelim and also arrested the accused boy along with the booty. The police are on the look out for the accused accomplices involved in the daring incident.
The incident occurred at around 10 am when the mother of the XI Science student girl dropped her daughter, who was pursuing computer education at a computer institute at Comba. Minutes after the mother returned at the petrol pump, she received a call from her daughter’s cell phone, with the Hindi speaking caller threatening that her daughter has been kidnapped by a Mumbai-based gang. The caller demanded ransom of Rs 20 lakh and threatened to rape and kill her daughter.
DySP Umesh Gaonkar informed that the police came to know of the kidnapping incident through its sources as the victim’s mother was frantically making arrangements to arrange the huge ransom and was averse to lodge a complaint fearing safety of her daughter.
Fortunately, police officers were on the field Wednesday morning, around the same time, engaged in a mock drill for the Queen’s baton. “Immediately, we formed four police teams as we received the information that the victim’s mother was proceeding to meet the kidnapper in a particular car”, DySP Gaonkar stated.
The police tracked the movement of the kidnapper through the mobile location as he continued to change his location, from Holy Spirit Church square to Agalli, Davorlim.
“The police followed the mother’s car incognito before the car finally stopped near the district Court when she came out with a blue bag stashed with money. The mother later headed to the SGPDA market and later towards the KTC bus stand, where she left the bag. The helmet wearing accused, who was lying in wait for the ransom, picked up the bag and tried to make good his escape only to be intercepted by the men-in-uniform”, Gaonkar said.
It is learnt the accused boy removed the cash from the bag and stacked them in the Aviator’s dickey, but luck did not smile on the Std XI Commerce student as he was nabbed by the police before being arrested for kidnapping upon a complaint from the victim’s mother.
Upon interrogation, he revealed that he had kept the girl at a cybercafé at Navelim, who was later rescued and brought at the police station.
DySP Gaonkar praised the police for their swift action and said they certainly deserved award for the excellent job.
Margao PI Santosh Desai said the police are on the look out for the accomplices of the accused and the Alto car used by the accused to commit the offense.
Replying to a question, DySP Umesh Gaonkar said both the accused and the victim knew each other well and added that the accused might have kidnapped her to blackmail her to give in to his monetary demands.
He said preliminary interrogations of the accused revealed that he knew the girl well, adding there is a strong possibility that he kidnapped her to blackmail her.
Sources in the know said the accused, who is a resident of Mutt, Gogol, told the police during interrogations that the victim girl was allegedly aware of his plan and that he wanted the money to venture into business.
The accused boy was late this evening sent to Apna Ghar.
