Russian police rescue abducted Indian

The 44-year-old businessman had been held captive in a damp cellar for over 4 months

Russian police have rescued an Indian businessman, who was abducted for ransom and spent several months in captivity.

The businessman, identified as Rajiv Khwairakpam, aged 44, was set free on December 6 in a special operation, the police department said in an announcement posted on its website on Tuesday.

Police said Mr. Khwairakpam, who lives here, was pushed into a car and abducted by two men on August 1. The businessman, chained and handcuffed, had been kept in the basement of a garage box, while the abductors tried to get a ransom of $3,00,000 from his relatives in India. They kept sending e-mails to India threatening to kill Mr. Khwairakpam if the ransom was not paid and cut off a finger on his left hand to show they were serious.

Two abductors held

Police eventually identified the suspected abductors and detained two of them, both Russians. Two more are still at large. One of the arrested criminals showed police the garage where they held Mr. Khwairakpam.

The detained men claimed Mr. Khwairakpam used to invest their money in property overseas. Four years ago, he took $2 million to invest in South Africa but failed to return the money, so they decided to abduct him.

“The businessman had been severely beaten up in captivity and needs medical help after spending more than four months in a damp cellar,” police said.