PUNE, DEC 9: After spending five traumatic days with his abductors, city businessman Harish Garware returned home safe and unharmed on Friday evening. The kidnappers, who claimed to be members of Chhota Rajan gang, had demanded a ransom of Rs one crore.A day after his return, the family is in a joyous mood. But for the police, the abduction still remains a mystery unsolved.Despite grilling both Garware and his driver Unnikrishna Pillai for hours together at the Chatuhshrungi police station, the police could not get answers to almost all the crucial questions, nagging them ever since the kidnapping took place on Monday.Teams of sleuths from the Chatushrungi police station and crime branch questioned Garware and his driver through the day for details. In the afternoon, they were taken to Pen and Panvel, where the abducted businessman and his driver say they were restrained.Later in the evening, assistant commissioner of police (crime) Mohammedbhai Mulani told mediapersons that Garware was set free by the abductors only after he stood surety for his wife's assurance that the ransom would be paid to them.However, ACP Mulani conceded, despite elaborate questioning of Garware and Pillai several important questions remained unanswered. For example, the police still do not know about the amount of ransom the Garwares finally agreed to pay.They also do not know the identities of the people who kidnapped Garware or whether the abductors were associated with Chhota Rajan. The police are also not sure whether the motive behind the abduction was just to extract the ransom or it was something else. The police are still unaware about whether Garware had any enemies and, if yes, who they were.Both Garware and Pillai gave elaborate details of how the abduction took place on being questioned by a team comprising ACP Mulani, inspectors Mallikarjun Apune, Vilas Jadhav and Surendra Patil as well as API K S Kutate.They said they left Garware's residence off the Baner-Balewadi Road for his factory at Chalegaon on Paud Road in his Opel Astra car around 10 am on Monday. They were about one-and-a-half km away from Chalegaon when a white Maruti van intercepted their car.Four persons jumped out of the van and got into Garware's car as soon as Pillai halted. One of them had a revolver. Both Garware and Pillai were blindfolded before they were whisked away. They were made to alight from their car and board the van after travelling some distance.Later, Garware and Pillai were taken to a house along the road linking Panvel with Penn and restrained in a room. The abductors abused Garware and asked for a ransom of Rs one crore.He was forced to make a call to his wife Rekha on his cellular phone and inform her about the kidnapping after he said he could not afford to pay such a huge ransom. During the same call, one of the abductors who identified himself as Santosh reiterated the ransom demand.Garware and Pillai told the police that the abductors behaved rudely, abusing them all the time, till Thursday. But, they said, the abductors provided them food and did not beat them. Garware and Pillai said the abductors took turns to stand guard for them. Their leader used to visit the captives once a day. The abductors never took any initiative in chatting up with the captives.The abductors told Garware that his wife had agreed to pay the ransom later on and that he should stand surety for her around 5.30 pm on Friday. Later, Garware and Pillai were taken to a secluded spot off the road linking Panvel with Penn and set free.Garware told the police that they hitched a lift to Panvel in a six-seater autorickshaw. From Panvel, he hired a taxi for Lonavla. He had called up his wife and asked her to pick him up from Lonavla.Acting on a tip off by Garware's wife, a team of Pune police went to Lonavla and escorted the businessman back home. Garware reached home arund 10.30 pm.The Garwares refused to meet this reporter saying they needed a couple of days to overcome the shock. Their spacious bungalow was heavily guarded. A huge dog in the porch and a private guard sitting near the main gates were enough to discourage any stranger from entering.The gates were not being opened for anyone. Friends and relatives were asked to take care of all those insisting to meet the Garwares. A team of uniformed policemen, sitting in a vehicle parked at the intersection of the approach road of Garware bungalow and the Baner-Balewadi road kept watch on the activities of all passers-by.
