The Soladevanahalli police opened fire and arrested two men who allegedly set four motorcycles ablaze after their owner refused to give in to their demands when they threatened to kidnap his son. According to the police, the accused — Mohammed Riyaz, 21, and Mohammed Basith, 23 — hail from Tamil Nadu and worked as labourers near a mineral plant owned by the victim, B.T.V. Srinivas.
“The accused were convinced that Srinivas was wealthy and decided to abduct his college-going son to extort money from him. The kidnapping attempt failed but as they were in dire need of money, they called up Srinivas and demanded that he give them ₹50 lakh, failing which they would kidnap his son,” a senior police officer said.
Srinivas, assuming it was a prank, told them to do their worst and hung up. In order to create fear and panic, the duo on Monday night poured petrol on four motorcycles parked in front of Srinivas’ house and set them on fire. The victim, along with the neighbours, managed to douse the flames and alerted the police.
Based on a complaint filed by Srinivas, the police tracked down the accused to an isolated place near a college in Soladevanahalli on Tuesday. Inspector Shivaswamy and team surrounded the area and asked the duo to surrender. However, in a bid to escape, the two men allegedly attacked constable Srinivas and Mallikarjuna with a dagger. Shivaswamy warned the duo and subsequently fired at their legs to stop them from fleeing.
The accused, who are being treated at Victoria Hospital, told the police that they were heavily in debt and had come up with the kidnap plan to make a quick buck.
