Man abducted for Rs 5L ransom, ‘friend’ sculptor among 6 held

Anandan (36) of Vadagambadi village near Mamallapuram runs a shop on Tirukazhukundram road selling construction materials. A few days ago, he received a phone call from a person for M-sand and blue metal to be delivered at a cemetery at Venpurusham village to build a tomb.

Believing that it to be a genuine order, Anandan delivered the materials. When he asked for the money, the person who waited at the spot allegedly told him he had to withdraw cash from an ATM and asked him to come along.

Anandan boarded the car and on the way on the East Coast Road, four more men joined them. Anandan grew suspicious and asked them where he was being taken to. They placed a knife on his neck and threatened him to call his wife, Nithya, asking her to bring Rs 5 lakh to secure his release.

As Nithya remained shocked and helpless, Saravanan alias ‘Karate’ Saravanan, a sculptor from the shop next to theirs, approached her offering help to rescue her husband. As per his plan, Nithya agreed to part with Rs 2 lakh and accompanied Saravanan to a deserted place near the bridge across Palar river at Vayalur village. When she handed over the cash to the kidnappers, the gang allegedly robbed her two sovereigns, too, before releasing Anandan.

Anandan later lodged a complaint at Mamallapuram police about the kidnap and robbery, and a case was registered. During the investigation, the officials grew suspicious about Saravanan, as he was overly cooperative with the investigation, but requested not to include him as a witness.

The investigators then analysed his phone call details and confirmed that he was in touch with the kidnappers. When they grilled him, Saravanan admitted to have plotted the entire episode.

Based on Saravanan’s confession, other suspects - Moorthi (40) of Manimangalam, Vijayakumar (39) of Alikuppam, Arjun (35) of Semmenchery, and Ranjith (38) and Mahendran (40) of Mylapore - were secured. The car they used for the kidnap and three machetes were seized from the gang. All six were remanded in judicial custody on Saturday.