Journalism of Courage
The Navi Mumbai police on Tuesday rescued a 57-year-old Pune-based teacher and arrested her driver as well as his wife who had allegedly kidnapped her. The duo had demanded a ransom of Rs 1 lakh,the police said.
According to the police,the victim,Meera Ashok Malhotra,is a resident of Koregaon Park and teaches at Bishops Co-Ed School in Kalyani Nagar. The police said on Tuesday around 7 am,she got in the car to go to school.
Her driver,Mohammed Abdul Aziz Sattar (36),however,took her to his home in Pinglewasti on the pretext of picking up his wife,Noorjahan, said a police officer.
Noorjahan also got into the car,and after driving for a while,they gagged Malhotra and took her to Mumbai,the police said. Sattar then called up Malhotras family and demanded Rs 1 lakh for her release. He even threatened them that they would kill Malhotra if they did not get the money,the police said.
Sattar also took Malhotras ATM card,but as she refused to divulge her PIN,he could not withdraw any money,the police said. Meanwhile,Malhotras family members lodged a complaint with the Koregaon police,who in turn informed the Navi Mumbai police.
The Navi Mumbai police launched a search operation and Malhotra Meera near Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) around 7 pm. Police also arrested Sattar and his wife. The Koregaon Park police have taken custody of the arrested couple.
Senior inspector Shivaji Kamble said Sattar hails from Kolkata. He was staying in Pune for about a year and was working for Malhotra as a driver for the last few months.
