MANGALURU: An eight-year-old boy, who was abducted from Ujire in Dakshina Kannada district for a ransom in cryptocurrency, was rescued in Kolar on Saturday. The accused are Ranjith, a data entry operator in a software company, Hanumatu and Gangadhar, both cab drivers, Kamal, a mechanic, Manjunath, a tailor and Mahesh, a painter.
They are in the age group of 21-26 years and hail from Mandya, Mysuru, Bengaluru and Kolar. Search is on for a few more involved, including the mastermind behind the abduction. The boy and his grandfather AK Sivan were taking a stroll near their house on Thursday evening when four people came in a car and kidnapped the boy. Subsequently, the kidnappers called the boy’s father, using a Madhya Pradesh SIM, demanding a ransom of 100 Bitcoins (BTC), amounting close to Rs 18 crore.
Dakshina Kannada SP B M Laxmiprasad said the main accused, whose identity is not disclosed, was acquainted with the boy’s father, Bijoy – who runs a hardware shop – and they were into the same business until three years ago. He was aware that Bijoy was trading in Bitcoins and hence demanded the ransom in cryptocurrency as it is difficult to trace. The main accused had hired four persons for the job and had promised to pay them Rs 7 lakh.
The SP said they were able arrest the accused after launching the investigation from various angles, including finding those who knew that Bijoy was a Bitcoin trader. The kidnappers reached Kolar after travelling via Madikeri, Mandya and Bengaluru. They had kept the boy in the house of an accused and did not hurt him. The boy also did not raise an alarm.
The SP said further investigation will reveal whether the main accused carried out the crime for just ransom or over personal enmity. The police handed over the boy to his parents after getting permission from the Kolar magistrate.