KOCHI: Two youngsters were abducted and beaten up inside a moving car in Kochi on Tuesday night after they tried to dupe a gangster by selling green tea instead of ganja. Two suspects have been arrested.
According to the Ernakulam Town police, the incident took place around 11pm in front of the KFC outlet at Kaloor.
“The accused in the case are gangster Devadathan and his three associates Ambady, Arjun and Kalidasan. The gang is based in Tripunithura. The two youngsters – the complainants – are 23 years old. They hail from Chavakkad and work part-time,” said an officer.
The officer said Devadathan and his gang members had contacted the complainants to buy ganja, and asked the duo to meet in front of the KFC outlet on Tuesday night.
The officer said Devadathan and his gang reached Kaloor in a car around 11pm, and the complainants handed over a packet to them. “When one of the accused checked its contents, they found it was green tea. As per the complainant, they were then pulled inside the vehicle and beaten up brutally inside the moving car. The gang also snatched away the mobile phone of one of them,” said the officer.
After beating them up, the gang dropped the youths near Elamkulam. The two approached the Town police and lodged a complaint, but did not divulge the real reason behind the incident. However, the police learnt the truth after nabbing two of the accused persons.
“Based on the mobile phone number and details of the vehicle provided, we identified the accused persons. Devadathan is involved in multiple criminal cases. When we reached his house, he managed to escape. We have arrested Arjun and Kalidasan. Ambady is absconding too,” said the officer.
The police are also looking into any drug peddling by the complainants. “We will interrogate them. They claimed they were managing to survive in Kochi by doing part-time jobs. A probe into their drug peddling activities is being conducted,” the officer said.