• Gang of four ‘supari killers’ abducts scooter-borne civil contractor and holds him captive in a moving car overnight
• Victim had to pay protection money of Rs. 16 lakh  to be let off unharmed; Case registered in Varuna Police Station

Mysuru: In a filmy incident, a civil contractor was allegedly abducted by a four-member gang of kidnappers and was let off after collecting a ransom of Rs. 16 lakh in cash and robbing him of his gold valuables worth Rs. 3.5 lakh, in Varuna Police limits recently.

Ramu, a resident of Muddegowdana Doddi, Mysuru taluk, who is into small time contracts, is the victim. He was allegedly held captive by kidnappers overnight, before he was released from their clutches next day.

Following a complaint lodged by Ramu at Varuna Police Station yesterday, Superintendent of Police (SP) Mallikarjun S. Baladandi, who visited the spot, constituted three teams to trace the kidnappers. The mobile call network is being traced, along with examining the CCTV camera footages, as part of the ongoing investigation into the sensational incident.

The case

Ramu had come to Hosahalli near Mysuru on July 15 at about 3 pm, where he has taken up a road work contract. He later returned home at around 5 pm and left to his farm house nearby at about 6 pm. He spent some time at his farm, before starting his journey towards his home at around 8.30 pm, in his scooter (KA-09-GF-1454).

A car shoved up at the curve located near his farm, only to waylay his two-wheeler. Four miscreants who got down from the car, allegedly forced Ramu into the car, besides gagging his mouth by stuffing a piece of cloth and tying a band of cloth covering his eyes. He was later taken around in the car.

Amid this, he got a call on his cell phone and the kidnappers, asked him about the caller, after lifting the piece of cloth tied to his eyes. When he said, the caller was his wife, the suspects told him to follow his instructions, failing which he would be finished off.

While the perpetrators turned on the loud speaker of his cell phone, feared Ramu, abiding by their words, told his wife, he would not return home in the night. The miscreants, who snatched his phone soon after, switched off the phone.

Robbed of valuables

After driving around for about one-and-a-half hours, the miscreants stopped the car at a place and robbed Ramu of his gold chain weighing 30 grams, two finger rings weighing 10 grams and Rs. 50,000 cash.

They later got down from the car and walked around the vehicle, before tying a piece of cloth around Ramu’s eyes, during the sunrise.

They switched on his phone, only to receive a call instantly. When they questioned Ramu about the caller, he told them it was his wife, but the kidnappers held him at knife point, telling him to speak casually, without giving room for any suspicion.

As soon as he received the phone, his wife asked him about his whereabouts and for keeping his phone off. Ramu, who was still in the grip of fear, hesitantly told his wife he would return home, before the miscreants abruptly disconnected the call.

Supari…?!

The miscreants told Ramu, someone has given them a supari for Rs. 9 lakh to kill him. They demanded Rs. 40 lakh to release him unharmed, before hitting him on his head. Ramu, who was frightened over what he heard, offered to pay Rs. 15 lakh, as a protection money, to which the kidnappers refused, but later asked him to add Rs. 1 lakh more and pay Rs. 16 lakh, to free him from their clutches.

Ramu, who agreed to pay Rs. 16 lakh to kidnappers, called his wife over phone and told the latter to send Rs. 15 lakh with her brother Suresh, saying that he wanted to pay the amount to a contractor. The miscreants told Ramu, to hand over the money to one Prakash, who will be waiting near the bus stand at Suttur.

Call to confirm

After half-an-hour, Ramu’s brother-in-law Suresh called the former over phone, which was snatched by kidnappers. They turned on the speaker, to hear Suresh address Ramu and telling him that, there were none to find at Suttur bus stand.

The kidnappers called somebody over phone and asked Ramu to contact his brother-in-law again and tell him to take the cash to Nandigunda village.

Accordingly, Suresh reached the bridge near Nandigunda and called Ramu again. The kidnappers told Ramu to tell his brother-in-law to hand over the cash bag to a person wearing black shirt near a water tank adjacent to big banyan tree. Suresh handed over the cash bag and informed Ramu over phone again.

Wait for release continues

But still, Ramu had to endure harassment at the hands of kidnappers, who took him around in the car for about one-hour, before asking him to get down at a place. They told him about keeping the keys of his scooter and cell phone near 10th coconut tree. Before driving off, the kidnappers warned Ramu against going to the Police. They also told him about eliminating him, after coming out the jail within six months, even if he lodges a Police complaint.

Released on canal road

The place, where Ramu was let off, was Kadave Kattehundi canal road connecting to Siddaramanahundi. He came across one Suresh of the same village and asked him to help him contact his family over phone. Even as Suresh offered to help, Ramu, who was yet to come to terms, couldn’t recall his cell number. However, he was able to recover his phone, hidden near a coconut tree, as told by the kidnappers.

Suresh dropped him at Kadave Kattehundi bus stand, where he met Nagaraju of Devegowdanahundi, who dropped him till his farm house. By the time he reached home, it was 10.30 am of July 16.

Reaches home finally

When Ramu walked inside the farm, his wife was peeling off halsande (Cowpea). He narrated the ordeal he underwent at the hands of kidnappers. Appalled and aghast, she contacted Ramu’s brother, who stays in Mysuru and narrated the whole story to him.  Ramu’s brother, who rushed to the farm, later took him to Varuna Police Station, where a kidnap complaint has been lodged.