CHENNAI: In what looks like a typically edgy climactic scene from an action-packed film, the city police chased and arrested six persons within two hours after the accused kidnapped a businessman for a ransom of Rs five lakh on Wednesday night.
The man was kidnapped around 8 pm and rescued around 9.45 pm, said the police. Police said Rahul Chand (26) of Adhiappan Naicker Street at Sowcarpet is said to be a manager at a mobile phone manufacturing unit and is also involved in businesses related to gadgets in George Town and Sowcarpet. “Someone known to Rahul had tipped off the gang that kidnapping him would fetch them handsome money. The gang has kept tabs on Rahul for a while and staged the kidnap on Wednesday,” said K Jegadeeswaran, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kilpauk).
Speaking to Express, Rahul said that an unknown man approached him when he was at Ormes Road at Kilpauk. “I was drinking juice with my friend when that man came to me and introduced him as Sarath and that he wanted to place a bulk order of mobile accessories. I thought someone would have told about me. While we were crossing the road towards the office, an autorickshaw pulled over and Sarath pushed me inside the vehicle.”
Meanwhile, Dileep, who was drinking juice with Rahul, rushed to the Kilpauk station and lodged a complaint. However, sometime later, the gang called Rahul’s friend Dileep and demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh. The gang had asked him to come near the Bodyguard Muneeswaran Temple near the Central railway station.
“We scanned the mobile tower location which pointed around Santhome,” said the ACP. Teams under Inspectors - Ponraj, Ilangovan and Praveen - were set up. One team was placed near the Santhome Church and one led a search operation at Kilpauk while another team was placed near Sir Thomas Munro statue at Pallavan Salai.
“The kidnap happened around 8pm and an hour later, the mobile tower location was shown near the Omandurar Hospital. While checking vehicles on either end of the road, one auto rickshaw ran zig-zag through the barricades and fled,” said Jegadeeswaran.
The ACP and constable Pradeesh chased the autorickshaw by jeep on the busy Anna Salai and around 9.45 pm, “Pradeesh, sensing that the gang would disappear into the traffic, hit the vehicle with the jeep. The autorickshaw swirled around and halted in the opposite direction,” said the ACP.
Knowing that the plan flopped, the gangsters started running in different directions. Meanwhile, the police, who were following by two-wheelers and another jeep, started to chase the culprits in the thick of traffic near the Periyar statue signal. “One by one, we nabbed six men while two personnel rescued Rahul and took him to the hospital,” said the officer.
The accused were identified as S Sarath (27) from Kondithope, S Rajan (32), V Magesh (29), and K Thamizharasan (24) from Seven Wells and V Vimal (21) and C Soorya (21) from Elephant Gate. The search is for one more accused who ran away and for the man who had tipped off the gang. The six men were arrested and remanded in judicial custody.