CHENNAI: A businessman on Thursday tried to get his 20-year-old nephew kidnapped to question him in connection with Rs20 lakh missing from his Peravallur home but the attempt failed when a few policemen near the Ambattur industrial estate heard the cries of the youth sandwiched between two men on a bike and intervened.
Prasanth, an insurance agent at a private eye hospital in Nungambakkam, was rescued and his uncle Sivakumar detained for questioning. The arrested — Vignesh, 24, of MMDA Colony, a final year BBA student at MGR University, Aditya, 19, a second-year paramedical student from Thanjavur, Vasanth, 27, a real estate promoter from Ambattur, and Mohammad Anas, 25, a wholesale fruit businessman from Theni — have been sent to jail.
Police said Prasanth stayed with Banumathi, his mother’s sister, and her husband Sivakumar at their Peravallur home. Sivakumar, who runs a used-car business, recently got Rs50 lakh from a sale. A few days ago, he found Rs20 lakh missing and suspected Prasanth’s hand. Sivakumar questioned him discreetly, but the youth denied he had anything to do with it. Not convinced, Sivakumar engaged the four men to abduct Prasanth who he planned to question thoroughly at a house in Ambattur.
Accordingly, on Thursday, the four men came on two motorbikes and waited near Prasanth’s house. When he stepped out for a stroll, one of them asked him the direction to a fuel refilling station nearby. Prasanth gave the directions, but the man requested him to come along and show the way.
As they were nearing the fuel station, the four men tried to bundle Prasanth into a car that was following. As he refused to cooperate, Vasanth and Vignesh got him to sit between them, with the second man keeping a knife in his side.
As they rode along, Prasanth spotted a couple of traffic policemen near the Ambattur telephone exchange building and managed to jump off the bike. As he was screaming for help, the kidnappers attacked him. Suresh, a policeman in a patrol vehicle, came there and with others rescued Prasanth and nabbed the four men.
