Anwar, 35, of Malappuram, who was abducted by a gang from outside a lodge at Uduma in Kasaragod district, was rescued in a joint operation carried out by the Kerala and Karnataka police on Wednesday.
Bekal DySP Sunil Kumar, who headed the team that rescued Anwar, said they were able to track down the four abductors and carry out the rescue operation with the help of the Karnataka police.
He said Anwar had come to Uduma with his boss, Nazar, a resident of Karipur, who runs a fertilizer company. They had been collecting hair from barbershops in the district for use as raw material.
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They were staying in a lodge at Uduma. Believing that they had a lot of money with them, a helper at the lodge informed the abductors, said Mr. Kumar. When the gang tried to abduct Nazar, he managed to escape but Anwar was caught by the gang. When they realised that he had no money, they demanded ₹2 lakh as ransom to free him.
The people, who saw the gang abducting Anwar, informed the police. Nazar filed a complaint with the police and the team was formed to rescue Anwar.
The team was able to track down the gang which had by then entered Manguluru.
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“We were able to track and identify their movements and we continued to chase them and inform the Mangaluru police about their locations,” he said.
The Manguluru police tried to stop the gang but they gave them the slip after crashing through the barricades at many places along the way.
The car used by the gang was finally stopped by the police after they barricaded the road using a truck. The abductors managed to escape while Anwar was rescued from the vehicle and the car seized.
Mr. Kumar said that the police had identified the four abductors and believe that there were more persons behind the crime.