Karaya bizman missing since April 5, family gets Rs 1 crore ransom call
Times of India | 19 April 2024
KOLKATA: The family of a south Kolkata-based businessman who was abducted nearly a fortnight ago has received a Rs 1 crore ransom call to secure his release. The abduction took place on April 5 when the businessman was out on an errand, claimed cops who are now investigating the case.
The motive behind the kidnapping is suspected to be a business dispute.
Unlike recent instances when victims were confined in locations around the city or an adjoining district, the police wanted to tread with caution after learning that the accused had initially taken the victim to north Bengal before shifting the hideout to other states.
The detective department has decided to form a special team to try and work on leads since this will need inter-state coordination.
The accused have threatened to kill the trader if their demands are not met and have also warned his family against involving the police. The family initially kept quiet, but later filed a complaint with Karaya police station after they realised that the accused were not ready to negotiate.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case against unknown persons under various non-bailable sections such as kidnapping (365), extortion (387), wrongful confinement (368), and criminal conspiracy (120B). The police are examining CCTV footage from the area surrounding the crime scene and are also tracking the location of the mobile phone used to demand the ransom.
The investigators are investigating the case by reviewing CCTV footage and tracking the technical leads gathered so far.
Kolkata Police is likely to trace the route taken by the accused to abduct the trader in order to retrieve additional footage.
A police team has already toured areas in north Bengal and the states that had been frequented by the victim and collected information from counterparts in at least two states.
According to a source, two persons on a motorcycle followed the businessman days before the abduction.
This incident comes shortly after the murder of trader Bhavya Lakhani of Ballygunge a month ago.