Fake woman cop, 4 others held in businessman kidnap case

According to police sources, Ulaganathan, a businessman from Kalayarkovil in Sivaganga district, was approached by a woman, dressed as a sub-inspector, along with four men, in civilian attire, on the night of March 27. They identified themselves as police personnel from the Kalayarkovil police station. 

The woman told Ulaganathan that he needed to visit the police station in connection with a case and seized his mobile phone as well as the cellphone of his wife Vijayalakshmi. Then the five of them took Ulaganathan in his car and fled. 

Perplexed, Vijayalakshmi rushed to the Kalayarkovil police station and urged the police personnel to release her husband. Policemen at the station told her that they did not pick up her husband and after interrogation, they came to know that Ulaganathan was kidnapped. 

Meanwhile, a neighbour of Ulaganathan received a call on March 30 and the caller asked Vijayalakshmi to go to the Pandi Temple ring road here with a ransom of Rs 10 lakh to pick up her husband. 

When police traced the call they found it was made from Suklapuram post near Andipatti in Theni district. However, they decided to nab all the accused and gave the money to Vijayalakshmi. 

Following this, when Vijayalakshmi gave the money to them, police personnel hiding nearby arrested the gang and took them to Kalayarkovil. During investigation, the woman who led the gang was identified as Shanthi of Madurai. She had worked in the Home Guard department. The others were her accomplices. 

The gang also told the police that a person called Sekar from Sivaganga had asked them to kidnap Ulaganathan for money.