Karnataka - Bangalore   

Abducted college girl rescued

Bangalore: The city police opened fire on an alleged kidnapper who tried to stab an inspector, and rescued a 17-year-old college girl on Friday night near the Food World supermarket in Vijaynagar even as five accomplices escaped.

The accused, who sustained a bullet wound, was identified as Karthik (23) of Padarayanapura. He was arrested and admitted to the Victoria Hospital.

Karthik and his accomplices allegedly kidnapped the girl, a second year pre-university student, in the afternoon while she was walking near her college.

“The gang, comprising youngsters in the age group of 22 to 30, was waiting outside the college. They dragged the girl into a car and sped away,” City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari told presspersons here on Saturday.

Mr. Bidari gave the names of the other accused as Murali (22) of Magadi Road, Vivek alias Boda (30) of Chandra Layout, Karthik’s cousin Shekar (25) of Padarayanapura, and autorickshaw drivers Murthy (25) and Ainu (22). After kidnapping the girl, the gang members snatched her cellphone and made several calls to her father Sanjay Mehta, a businessman. Their initial ransom demand of Rs. 1 crore was finally pegged at Rs. 10 lakh, which they asked Mr. Mehta to bring near another Food World outlet, a police officer told The Hindu.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mehta filed a complaint with the Seshadripuram police, who along with Commercial Street police station inspector S. Badrinath, CCB inspector S.K. Umesh, police inspectors Nagaraj, H. Siddappa and Kenchegowda swung into action.

As instructed by the police, Mr. Mehta told the gang members to collect the cash at Vijayanagar and waited near the supermarket for them.

When the gang arrived in a car, policemen in plain clothes pounced on them. However, the police said that Karthik tried to stab Mr. Umesh who fired five rounds, including four at the wheels of the car. One bullet hit Karthik’s leg and he collapsed, said the officer.

Following the unexpected turn of events, the other five, who were in the car with the girl, fled, leaving behind their injured associate.

Later they pushed the girl out of the car.

“We have all information about them and we will arrest them soon,” Mr. Bidari said.

On May 18, the same gang reportedly kidnapped Keshav (8), son of a travel agency proprietor in Vijayanagar, and tried to extort Rs. 25 lakh.

The gang members kept the boy for three days in an isolated place and released him when their attempts to extort money failed, the officer said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Murdered
‘Official suppressing information’
Dental colleges directed to fill vacant seats
‘Atal Sarige’ launched in Bangalore
Traffic restrictions on Bangalore roads today
Four marketing parks will come up in a year: Katti
‘We are as solid as a rock’
14,000 to appear for CLAT today
Candlelight vigil
Abducted college girl rescued
This kidnap case also ends on a happy note
Role models warm up with pasta
Green Gang protests against tree-felling
Tobacco gets short end of the stick
Bangalore Today

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu