Journalism of Courage
The Pune Police recently rescued a city-based land dealer from a village near the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh (UP), a few days after he was kidnapped by a gang of six persons from Kesnand village in Haveli taluka.
The police also arrested two of the kidnappers and a search is on for the four others. An FIR has been lodged with the Lonikand police station.
A press release issued Friday said a man from Bivari village in Pune, who is into the business of sale and purchase of land, was kidnapped by a gang on March 24, 2022. The police said the kidnappers purchased a piece of land from the dealer and had given some money in advance. They called him at Kesnand to make the remaining payment but instead, kidnapped him and demanded Rs 10 lakh from his family for his release.
The family members approached the police for help. Soon, a team headed by senior police inspector Gajanan Pawar of Lonikand police station initiated an investigation.
The probe revealed that the kidnappers had taken the land dealer to a village in Siddharth Nagar, near the India-Nepal border in UP. A Pune Police team then went to the village, rescued the land dealer and arrested two of the kidnappers.
Police sub-inspector Suraj Gore, the investigating officer, said, “We have rescued the man. His family had transferred a ransom amount of Rs 1 lakh into the bank account of one of the accused persons. This bank account has been frozen. Two kidnappers have been arrested and a search is on for four other accused.”
Gore said the kidnappers were residing in Pune for the last few years and were engaged in furnishing works in the city.
