KOCHI: A four-member ‘quotation’ gang said to be involved in the kidnapping of a businessman in Kochi landed in the custody of Eloor Police on Thursday. The arrested persons are Radhakrishnan aka Arun alias Asan, 36, of Eloor; Sulaiman aka Vadival Sulaiman of Kunnatheri; Punnoose aka Sarath Kumar of Eloor and Surya aka Mottakannan of Vidakuzha.
Radhakrishnan, who currently resides at Cheranellur, is the leader of the gang. The cops said the four arrested persons are named accused in several criminal cases, including that of murder, across Ernakulam.
“The gang nursed a grudge towards Abdul Salam, 35, of Vadanappally in Thrissur, who now resides in Thrikkakkara. Salam had refused to cooperate with the gang in summoning one Hameed who had helped the police in arresting Anas, a member of the gang headed by Radhakrishnan, in the case related to the murder of Unni, a Perumbavoor native, in Karnataka,” said the cops
“The gang took Salam to an abandoned place at Kuttikattukara around 5 pm on Wednesday and threatened to kill him. They brandished swords and iron rods and assaulted him using the rods. They then took him to a bar in Pathalam in a car and continued the assault.
However, Salam somehow managed to escape and took shelter at the nearby Eloor police station. Later, he lodged a complaint at the station,” the cops said.An investigation team, monitored by Ernakulam ACP K Laljy and comprising Palarivattom SI Sanal and Eloor SI Nelson George, arrested the gang. The officers said Punnoose was involved in two attempt to murder cases registered in the Eloor and Kalamassery police stations.