A seven-member gang which kidnapped a lucky gems stone dealer was arrested at Mannargudi. The gang allegedly demanded a ransom of `50 lakhs.
P Sundarrajan (43) of Valavampatti village in Pudukkottai district, a lucky gems stone dealer, was informed by his friend Subramanian of Tiruvarur that one of his acquaintances needed two gem stones, and asked him to come over to Tiruthuraipoondi.
Following this, Sundarrajan travelled to Thiruthuraipoondi on Monday taking with two gem stones with him, reportedly valued around `3 lakhs. As instructed earlier, Sundarrajan had contacted a mobile phone number given by Subramanian, from the Thiruthuraipoondi bus stand.
Following this, four persons contacted Sundarrajan and said they were the persons interested in buying gem stones. The four-member gang asked him to enter a car that was waiting at the bus stand. When the car was moving towards Muthupettai, the gang brandished a knife and snatched the two gemstone from Sundarrajan, and also demanded a ransom of `50 lakhs. When they reached Muthupettai, three others on a two-wheeler joined the car. They left the two-wheeler at Pattukkottai, and alighted the car. When the gang insisted on `50 lakhs as ransom, Sundarrajan reportedly said he did not have so much money. Later, the gang asked for `5 lakhs. Sundarrajan contacted his relative, Saravanan, and asked him to come to Mannargudi bus stand on Monday night with `50,000 as first instalment.
But as luck would have it, the kidnappers and their victim were waiting near the STC depot at Madukkur road in Mannargudi, when a police team on their routine rounds conducted an inquiry on suspicion.
Sundarrajan immediately told the police that he was being kidnapped, and the police team rounded up the gang and took them to the Mannargudi police station. They recovered the two gems from the kidnappers. The police arrested the seven, and also seized the car used to kidnap Sundarrajan.