VIJAYAWADA: Like a sequence straight out of a crime thriller, Vijayawada police arrested a 21-year-old youngster, who kidnapped a 50-year-old man and demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh, by placing a global positioning system (GPS) tracker in the bag that contained the ransom and caught the kidnapper red-handed while he was collecting the money at Gannavarm on Friday.
The accused was identified as Khaleed (21), who is pursuing a Polytechnic course in a government college at Eluru in West Godavari district.
Police said Khaleed committed the crime in a bid to take revenge against Mohammad Shafiuddin for having an illicit relationship with his mother.
The incident happened on the night of October 1 when Shafiuddin was reportedly on his way home and Khaleed, along with his four friends, obstructed and attacked him.
They then took him to a secluded place in Eluru and demanded from Shafiuddin’s family a sum of Rs 50 lakh for his safe release.
Using Shafiuddin’s mobile, Khaleed called his family members and told his son to give the money, failing which Shafiuddin would be killed.
To avoid police raids, Khaleed shifted his victim to Gannavaram and kept him in a lodge and on October 2 allegedly physically attacked him.
According to Penamaluru police, Shafiuddin earlier worked in Saudi Arabia as a technician and returned to Vijayawada in January this year.
He got married 20 years ago and has two children. After his return, he took a rented house in Yanamalakuduru village under Penamaluru police station limits and joined a private company.
While working in the company, Shafiuddin developed an illicit relationship with a married woman, mother of the accused Khaleed.
When Khaleed came to know about the relationship, he felt depressed and warned both Shafiuddin and his mother many times.
“Unable to digest their relationship, Khaleed took this hasty decision of attacking and kidnapping him,” said the police.
Worried, members of Shafiuddin’s family approached Penamaluru police and lodged a kidnap complaint against the accused Khaleed.
Taking the case as a challenge, the police laid a trap along with cybercrime police officials.
“Instead of Rs 50 lakh, we told the victim’s family members to give Rs 10 lakh for getting Shafiuddin released from their clutches. Rest of the demanded money was counterfeit currency. We put a tracker in the bag containing the money and send Misbauddin, son of Shafiuddin, to the place where Khaleed wanted the bag to be delivered. We followed the auto in which the bag was being carried. It led us to Gannavaram.
Khaleed told Misbauddin to leave the place after keeping the bag in the said location. While the accused was collecting the money, we raided the place and rescued Shafiuddin and arrested the accused Khaleed and his friends,” said Penamaluru CI M Satyanarayana.
The police further said that Khaleed’s main intention was to take revenge on Shafiuddin and he demanded money to clear his debts.
A case has been registered against Khaleed and his four friends, who all are taken into custody.