Quick thinking helps police rescue kidnapped Chennai techie within 24 hours

Posing as his friend, SI carries ransom and nabs a kidnapper; three others held subsequently.

A software engineer, who was kidnapped for ransom, was rescued within 24 hours by the police.

According to the police, Premkumar (28) and his colleague, Sandeepchari (29), both from Telangana, were working in an IT major at Navalur and were living in a rented house in the same area.

On the night of July 27, Premkumar told his friend that he had work at office and would come after midnight. As he did not return the next morning, Sandeepchari tried calling him over his mobile phone, which was found to be switched off.

He rushed to the Thazhambur police station and lodged a complaint.

Four teams were formed. IG (North zone) N.K. Senthamaraikannan was on the field, and coordinated the search teams.

Late that afternoon, Sandeepchari received a call from an unknown number demanding Rs. 10 lakh as ransom for the release of Premkumar. He passed on the message to the police, who advised him to agree to the demand.

Subsequently, the kidnappers called up and asked him to come to the Kelambakkam bus stand. Once he reached the bus stand, they changed the venue of the meeting to a place near a residential complex at Chemmancheri.

A sub-inspector wore Sandeepchari’s shirt and went to the scheduled meeting place with policemen in plainclothes following him. When one of the kidnappers, Parthiban (22) of Thaiyur, came to get the ransom around 11.30 p.m, the policemen nabbed him.

According to the police, the interrogation of Parthiban led to the rescue of Premkumar and arrest of the three other kidnappers — Praveenbalaji (25) and Jayaseelan (19), both from Thaiyur, and Vivekraj (26) of Arakonam — around 1.30 a.m. on Friday at Thaiyur.

“They were probably attempting a kidnap for the first time. From the beginning, it was clear that they were novices. Still, it was a swift operation with precise coordination,” said an officer.