TIRUPUR: A road rage complaint led Tirupur police to a gang of kidnappers operating in the area late Saturday night. Having zeroed on the gang’s vehicle, the police embarked on a chase forcing the gang to abandon a kidnapped businessman in the middle of the road. The alleged offenders were later secured at Avinashi in Tirupur by midnight.
It was a September 23 complaint from earthmover driver Thatchinamoorthy (35), a resident of Kodumudi from Erode, which aroused the suspicions of police.
Police said Thatchinamoorthy and his friends were travelling to Erode by car via the Kovai-Salem highway. When they overtook another car near Avinashi, the car driver reportedly showered abuses on them. The car chased down Thatchinamoorthy’s vehicle, eventually parking in front of it. Surprised, Thatchinamoorthy stopped the car and stepped out.
The unidentified individuals in the other car allegedly verbally abused him and threatened him with death for overtaking them. One of the persons allegedly took a knife and slashed Thatchinamoorthy's hand. Friends rushed Thatchinamoorthy to an Avinashi government hospital and a police case was registered.
Alarmed by the complaint, police suspected a dangerous gang might be behind the incident. Scanning CCTV footage, police noticed that the vehicle in question had a distinctive star mark. A police team spotted that vehicle driving down the Kovai-Salem Highway on Saturday night. The team alerted their colleagues and gave chase, finally managing to stop the vehicle near Pazhangarai in Avinashi.
When the three-member gang was taken to the police station, police said the men confessed to having dropped Karthik (35), a local businessman in Somanur who they had kidnapped for ransom, on the road after the cops started chasing them. Later, Karthik too somehow managed to reach the Avinashi police station. Police took him back to his home in Somanur. The three men were arrested. They were remanded and taken to the Tirupur District Jail on Sunday morning.