Pune City Crime Branch successfully rescued a Tamil Nadu man who had been kidnapped and assaulted by a group of six people over a monetary dispute.
The victim was locked in a room at Pingara Hotel, Hadapsar, on the night of Jan 8 and was rescued by the police on Jan 9.
The accused have been identified as Mohammad Farman Meherbaan (27) and Arjun Kumar Shiv Kumar (28), both residents of Uttar Pradesh, Devendra Sunil Albhar (25), a resident of Ahmednagar, Ankit Arjun Adagale (25), resident of Powai, Avinash Dattatreya Kadam (43), a resident of Shikrapur, Priyank Devendra Rana (33), a resident of Uttarakhand.
According to the police, the victim, S Venkatesh (35), is a resident of Tiruvanamalai, Tamil Nadu, who departed for Mumbai on Jan 6.
On Jan 9, around 9am, Venkatesh contacted his family members and revealed that he had been kidnapped by unknown individuals, brought to Pune and beaten up for ransom.
Accordingly, Venkatesh’s family members contacted the Tamil Nadu Police and a case was forwarded to the Pune Police.
“Following the information, we initiated a search operation in Fursungi, Kunjirwadi, Shevalwadi and Shikrapur areas. With the help of CCTV cameras and other technical surveillance, the victim was successfully rescued and all six accused have been arrested,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nikhil Pingale told The Free Press Journal, adding that the police are investigating the case.
As per the initial information, accused Mohammed Farman, along with his friends, abducted the victim over a financial dispute related to a software purchase worth US$3,000, which Venkatesh had allegedly failed to provide. Angered over Venkatesh duping them, the accused planned to kidnap and recover the money from him.
“Accused Farman and the victim met online a few days ago through social media. Later, a transaction of Rs 2,52,000 occurred between them over some software. However, he (the victim) failed to provide it on time. Worried about losing his money, Farman planned with his friends and kidnapped him (the victim) from Mumbai and brought him to Pune by a car,” Senior Inspector (Crime Branch) Sandeepan Pawar told the FPJ.
A case has been registered at Hadapsar Police Station under sections 127(7), 351(2), 115(2), and 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
