KOCHI: Ernakulam rural police on Friday arrested two persons for allegedly abducting and attempting to extort money from Syju Thankachan, accused in the models’ death case. The arrested were Daniel Antony alias Dany (27) of Pallipuram and Sarun alias Kuku (28) of Edavanakkad.
Police said a gang abducted and tortured Syju after coming to know that he was staying at a Kuzhupilly homestay. “The arrested were part of a Cherai based gang. They identified Syju from media reports. They thought he was rich and demanded Rs 10 lakh from his family for his release. However, they let him off after realising that he will not be able to make the payment,” said an officer.
Munambom police had registered a case based on Syju’s brother Sony MT’s complaint. According to police, Syju was staying at the homestay after a Pocso case was registered against him. Last week, he appeared for interrogation. On Wednesday, two persons forced their way into his room, blindfolded him and took him to another location. Syju claimed that he was taken to an island and held captive in a house, police said. Police areinvestigating whether more people were involved in the crime. TNN
