Bank manager visiting Courtallam, abucted & robbed Rs 7 lakh; two held

TIRUNELVELI: Police have arrested two persons in connection with the alleged abduction of a bank manager who was lured through the Grindr app while visiting Courtallam and robbed of Rs 7 lakh through multiple bank transactions.

The arrested persons were identified as N Nagarajan (28), son of Arumugam, of North Chidambara Nagar in Sankar Nagar, Tirunelveli, and Muthuselvan (23) of Sivarajapuram in Melapalayam. Police are searching for the other suspects.

According to police, Ponnusamy (42), a native of Palayampatti in Aruppukottai taluk of Virudhunagar district, works as a manager at a public sector bank. He had visited Courtallam.

While Ponnusamy was using the Grindr app on his mobile phone, a person contacted him and asked him to come to a location near the military canteen at Achampatti, near Kadayanallur, police said.

When Ponnusamy reached the spot, a man who arrived in a car allegedly forced him into the vehicle and drove towards Tenkasi Road. Near the Idaikal bus stop in Kadayanallur, four more men got into the car, police said.

The gang members allegedly took turns assaulting Ponnusamy. They took Rs 1,000 in cash from his wallet and seized his mobile phone and ATM card, police said.

The gang then allegedly threatened him into revealing his banking password and transferred Rs 1 lakh from his account at the Virudhunagar branch. The suspects subsequently used a mobile banking app on his phone to transfer the remaining Rs 6 lakh, police said.

The gang allegedly drove him as far as Rajapalayam until the transactions were completed. They threatened to kill him if he disclosed the incident to anyone, before abandoning him at the Kadayanallur bus stand and fleeing, police said.

Ponnusamy subsequently lodged a complaint with the Kadayanallur police, who registered a case and are investigating.