In a swift operation, Virudhunagar district police secured a five-year-old girl, who was kidnapped by two persons for a ransom of Rs. 2 crore.
The police have detained two youths – a cousin of the girl’s father Suresh Kumar, and his friend.
A car and a knife used during the kidnap were also seized from them.
Superintendent of Police S. Maheswaran said that the girl, studying I standard, went missing from the school after school hours around 4.30 p.m.
Mr. Suresh Kumar, who was running a printing press in Tiruthangal, sent his employee to pick her up.
Even as the parents were searching for the girl, Mr. Suresh Kumar received a photograph of the girl, with a knife placed on her neck, through Whatsapp, around 5.30 p.m.
Later, an unidentified person demanded Rs. 2 crore for her safe release.
Stating that they were travelling on a train, the caller had threatened to kill the girl by throwing her out of the running train.
Mr. Suresh Kumar told the caller that he did not have so much money and promised to give him Rs. 10 lakh. However, the kidnapper demanded Rs. 50 lakh.
Meanwhile, Mr. Suresh Kumar alerted the police following which vehicle check was intensified across the district.
“We gave the identification of the girl with her school uniform. The police at Alagapuri check-post on Madurai-Srivilliputtur Highway, noticed the girl and intercepted the vehicle,” Mr. Maheswaran said.
The girl was rescued.
Interrogation of two youths revealed that one of them, Kaliraj, was a cousin of Mr. Suresh Kumar. He was assisted by his friend Manamuthu Rajan.
The duo took a car from one of their friends on the pretext of going to Courtallam.
Reward
The police have registered a case of kidnap for ransom. The SP gave reward to the police personnel posted at the check-post for their swift action.
