A special team of the city police apprehended four Sri Lankan nationals in connection with the kidnap of an Australia-based Sri Lankan businessman.
The businessman was lured into a trap by his abductors and detained when he came to Chennai last month. He had allegedly promised the Sri Lankan men jobs in Canada and other places abroad and cheated them of Rs. 2.5 crore.
The police identified the suspects as Sri Lankan nationals Jain Moulana (40) of Selaiyur, Mohammed Basmi (37) of Mannady, and Dhuvan Kabir (37) and Mohammed Ramjan (23) of Vengambakkam.
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The detainee Packiarajah Ponnukone operated a manpower agency in Sri Lanka with his aide Nazar and hired Moulana and Kabir as agents. They collected Rs. 2.5 crore from 17 Sri Lankan nationals after promising to relocate them to developed countries.
The agents handed over the money to Ponnukone and Nazar who fled with it after giving fake documents to the 17 persons. But when the men were apprehended by Sri Lankan authorities for carrying fake papers, they approached the agents for a refund.
The agents Moulana and Kabeer fled to India and settled in Selaiyur. They conspired with Ramjan and Basmi to kidnap Ponnukone and retrieve the money. They sent him a fake invitation to attend a business meet. Ponnukone fell for the trap and came to Chennai from Australia on March 9.
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Upon landing in the city, he was abducted by the four men and detained in a house in Selaiyur. He was released on March 13 after the abductors failed to retrieve any money from him but for a 17-sovereign gold chain.
Meanwhile, Ponnukone’s family members contacted Sri Lankan authorities in Chennai who in turn approached the commissioner of police, S. George. A special police team conducted a probe and managed to track down Ponnukone. A few days later, he flew back to Australia, a free man.
On Wednesday, the police team nabbed the four abductors and seized some fake documents from them.
They were remanded in custody and sent to Puzhal prison, the police said.