Ahmedabad crime branch rescued a builder Prakash Prajapati—resident of Chandkheda— on Saturday evening from the clutches of kidnappers. Five of the eight accused involved in hatching the kidnapping plan were also arrested.
Crime branch sources said Prajapati was kidnapped to recover Rs 4 to 5 crore which one of the main accused, Narendrasinh Rathod—a resident of Bhayla village of Ahmedabad district— had given Prajapati for investing in building construction work in Mumbai, 2013.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (crime branch) DP Chudasma said that Prajapati had gone for a morning walk on Saturday at about 6am. “At that time Ramji Bharwad, of Parnala village of Surendranagar district and two others abducted him in a car,” added Chudasma.
According to crime branch sources, at about 10 am the same day, Prajapati’s driver Shivakant Tiwari, called up Prajapati’s wife Harsha to inform her that he had received a call from an unknown number asking for a ransom of Rs 1 crore to release Prajapati safe and sound.
Harsha had then complained about Chandkheda police station alleging the kidnapping of her husband.
Inspector DB Barad of the city crime branch said that as it was a sensitive incident and therefore, they formed a team and rushed up the investigation. “We collected footage from the CCTV cameras installed near Prajapati’s house in Chankheda and saw three persons forcibly pushing Prajapati into a car” added Inspector Barad.
In the technical analysis of the other CCTV footage, the investigators identified the number of Vagha Bharwad –Parnala village located in Surendranagar district.
“Location of the mobile number was traced to Ranol village of Surendranagar district. Our team rushed to Ranol village, where we tracked the victim to the house of Abdul Timbaliya. Our team barged into the house and rescued Prajapati. We nabbed Vagha Bharwad, Timbaliya and Yunus Variaya—also a resident of the same village from the house” said a crime branch source.
Crime branch officials said based on the primary interrogation of the arrested accused, it came to light that Narendrasinh Rathod had given a contract to kidnap Prajapati to one Raghu Bharwad of Parnala village of Surendranagar district. “Raghu Bharwad had asked Ramji Bharwad and his men to kidnap Prajapati and confine Prajapati to a house in Ranol village of Surendranagar district. We arrested both Narendrasinh Rathod and Vagha Bharwad from Parnala village of Ahmedabad district. We are hunting for Ramji Bharwad and his two gang members who had kidnapped Prajapati” said a senior crime branch official.
Crime branch officials said that after confining Prajapati, they had beaten him with wooden logs. “He has five fractures in both legs” added a crime branch source.
Police rescue kidnapped Amdavadi builder within 24 hours
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