The Bengaluru district police, on Tuesday, rescued a 17-year-old boy, the son of a local businessman, who had been kidnapped along with his driver on August 26 while returning home from college.
During the rescue operation, the police opened fire in two instances. First at the man who had come to collect the ransom, and later at two of his associates who had restrained the boy and the driver in an eucalyptus grove in Madanayakanahalli on the outskirts of the city.
“Three people have been arrested while four are on the run,” said a senior police officer.
The gang allegedly kidnapped the boy, a PU student, while he was returning from college in Rajajunkente in a car driven by Keshava Reddy, 24. After overpowering Keshava, they hijacked the vehicle, and took the boy and the driver as prisoners.
The gang moved the duo to various places in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other States in an effort to evade the police. They demanded a ransom of ₹3 crore from the boy’s father, who runs a motorcycle showroom. When the family said that they did not have that much money, the kidnappers agreed to ₹1.8 crore.
The frantic parents contacted the police.
On Tuesday morning, the kidnappers asked for the money to be delivered to an isolated location in Kadabagere on the outskirts of the city. An undercover police team went to the spot. They arrested one of the accused Prashanth, 24, who had come to collect the money.
“He attempted to attack the police team. We opened fire and arrested him. He informed that the boy and the driver were at an eucalyptus grove in Madanayakanahalli along with his associates,” said a senior police officer.
A team was sent to spot. They cornered two of the accused, Sangabala and Satish, who tried to attack the police team in a bid to escape. The police opened fire on the accused and overpowered them. Later, they rescued the boy and Keshava. The duo were in the car. They had been blindfolded.
Two police personnel, Muralidhar and Madhusudhan, sustained injuries and are being treated in a hospital along with Prashanth, Sangabala and Satish.
The boy and Keshava were also admitted to a hospital. “We are waiting for them to recover from their ordeal to question them. Efforts are on to track down the other four accused who are on the run,” the police said.
