Quartet held for kidnapping businessman in Kilpauk

CHENNAI: The city police arrested four persons, including brothers, who kidnapped a businessman at knifepoint in Kilpauk and demanded Rs 50 lakh from him.

The gang escaped with his five-sovereign gold chain.

The police arrested the accused within 12 hours when they came to collect the money from the victim and recovered the stolen jewellery and the car used in the crime.

The complainant, Kamalesh Abraham (57) of Chetpet, runs a scrap metal business, according to the police.

On Monday (July 20), Kamalesh was on his morning walk near SDAT grounds at Nehru Park when he was forcibly bundled into a car by the gang.

The abductors brandished weapons and told Kamalesh that they were hired to eliminate him and were paid Rs 10 lakh. "The gang demanded Rs 50 lakh from the businessman so that they would not go ahead with their plan and asked him to inform his wife to bring the money," a police officer said.

As there was no response from his wife to his phone calls, the gang dropped him off and told him to arrange the money and meet them at a pre-arranged spot and threatened him not to approach law enforcement. The gang took his mobile number, removed the five-sovereign gold chain from his neck before fleeing.

Kamalesh approached the police after which a trap was set to nab the kidnappers. When the accused called Kamalesh and told him to drop the money at a tea shop in Broadway, the police team arrested two of the suspects who came to collect the cash bag and subsequently arrested two others.

The arrested persons were identified as Jai Saravanan (20), his brother, Jayakumar (33), Ramkumar (23) and Ponnivalavan (25). Jayakumar worked as a driver for a former DMK MLA, police sources said.

Police teams are searching for the insider who assisted the kidnappers.

The arrested persons were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.