GUNTUR: The Bapatla district police arrested six individuals for kidnapping an online trader in Chinaganjam Mandal. According to the police, the accused were identified as G Anand Kumar, K Kalki, N Narendar, B Umesh Reddy, S Kiran Kumar, and J Sai Kumar, all from Hyderabad.
The victim was identified as P Venkata Krishna Rao (48), from Bethalavaripalem village in Chinaganjam mandal, and working as an online trader.
The incident occurred when the six accused barged into Krishna Rao’s house and demanded a huge sum of money. They claimed that they were sent by Riyaz, a colleague of Krishna. The victim refused to pay, following which the accused confiscated his mobile phone and laptop and kidnapped him.
A neighbour, B Harikrishna, noticed that Krishna Rao was being forcefully taken in a car. He rushed to the local police station and reported the incident. Upon receiving the complaint, the police filed a case and launched an investigation.
With the help of CCTV footage, the police traced the vehicles at the toll plaza, chased the accused on NH-216, and arrested them. The victim was safely returned to his family on Sunday evening.
During the preliminary investigation, the police found that Krishna Rao and Riyaz had a misunderstanding regarding some stocks. The former had allegedly diverted money from Riyaz’s account. Riyaz repeatedly asked Krishna Rao about the money.
With no response, Riyaz’s friend, along with others, went to persuade Krishna Rao and later kidnapped him. The police are yet to arrest Riyaz. SP Tushar Dudi lauded the entire team for rescuing the victim within a few hours.