Boy rescued in dramatic operation

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 4. In, perhaps, the swiftest operation of its kind, the Bangalore city police on Sunday midnight arrested three of a four-member gang of kidnappers and rescued a 16-year-old boy who was being held for ransom since afternoon.

While two of the three kidnappers suffered bullet injuries when the police opened fire, another kidnapper escaped under the cover of darkness. The boy, Prashant Pagaria of Rajajinagar, who was kidnapped from Gandhinagar, was unhurt. Prashant, a 10th standard student of Baldwin School, came to his father's office on 6th Main Road, Gandhinagar, at about 11.00 a.m. and after an hour left for his house near Bhashyam Circle.

Prashant, however, did not turn up at home till 5.50 p.m. Towards evening, Prashant's mother received a call stating that her son had been kidnapped. She did not take the call seriously and assumed that it had been made by a prankster.

A little later, another telephone call was made to the residence of the Pagarias. This time, the person demanded a ransom of Rs.10 lakhs. Prashant's mother was warned that her son would be killed if police were informed about the kidnap and that further information on what to do would be conveyed to her later.

Worried by the second call, Prashant's mother telephoned her husband, Mr. Gulab Chand Pagaria, a motor vehicle financier, and informed him about the kidnap and the ransom demand. Mr. Pagaria lodged a complaint with the Upparpet Police, who immediately set up four squads to track down the kidnappers. The police teams began investigating leads in Mandya, Mysore and other places.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers compelled Prashant to telephone his mother at about 10.00 p.m. The kidnappers wanted Prashant's mother to come with the ransom money to a place near the ISKCON Temple on West of Chord Road.

A team of police officials accompanied Prashant's mother to the spot in front of ISKCON Temple in an autorickshaw. Several policemen in mufti were stationed there. Soon, two of the kidnappers began walking towards Prashant's mother even as two others stayed back.

When the policemen in mufti attempted to nab the two kidnappers, they were attacked with knives and swords. Police opened four rounds of fire injuring Ramesha and Ramakrishna in their legs.

Ramesha and Ramakrishna told the police about the whereabouts of Prashant. Police found that Prashant was being held captive by Gopi a little away in a van which was parked on a service road. Police managed to rescue Prashant and nab Gopi, who was guarding the boy, after a chase. When the fourth gangster, Shiva, attempted to flee in the van, police fired two more rounds. Shiva, however, managed to escape. R. Ramesha (27) of Kempapura Agrahara and Ramakrishna (28), of 12th Cross, Manjunatha Nagar, have been admitted to Victoria Hospital, while Gopi (23) a resident of Magadi Road, has been lodged at Upparpet Police Station. Police have launched a manhunt for Shiva.

Investigation revealed that Ramakrishna was an instructor in a multi-gym in Rajajinagar where Prashant went regularly. Initial reports suggest that the kidnappers were first-time offenders.

Ramakrishna is believed to be the kingpin of the kidnapping. While Ramesha was employed in a garage, Gopi and Shiva were employed in a garment factory.

The Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, the Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, Dr. K. Sreenivasan, and the Commissioner of Police, Mr. T. Madiyal, have commended the policemen for swiftly bringing the kidnappers to book and rescuing the boy.

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