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Journalism of Courage
PUNE City Police has rescued three Mumbai-based contractors within a day after they were kidnapped for a ransom of Rs 50 lakh, and arrested as many accused for their alleged involvement in the case.
A search is also underway to nab five of their other accomplices, said police.
The accused — identified as Pravin Shikhare, Vijay Kharade, and Vishal Madane — are all residents of Ahmednagar.
According to an official press release, a person called the Market Yard Police and informed them that a group of men kidnapped his brother and two more people from Market Yard area on Thursday afternoon, and allegedly demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh.
The accused also threatened to kill the victims if they failed to pay up. They also allegedly made a video call to the complainant — the brother of one of the kidnapped men — on WhatsApp, while beating up the victims.
The Pune City Police’s Crime Branch launched an investigation and found out that the three victims were kidnapped from Pune.
They scanned CCTV footage from the crime spot and nearby places, and traced the accused with the help of the Ahmednagar Police’s Crime Branch. The three men were arrested from Ahmednagar’s Shrirampur on Friday; and rescued the three Mumbai-based contractors from the same spot. Police have also seized two four-wheeler vehicles used in the crime.
An FIR was registered at the Marketyard police station, said Inspector Krantikumar Patil, adding that a further investigation is underway to find out the motive behind the crime. Police suspect that there could have been a financial dispute between the accused and the victims, said officials.
