6, including cop, held for abducting 2 bizmen

THANE: Six people, including a policeman, were arrested by Thane anti-extortion cell (AEC) for kidnapping two businessmen from Rajasthan. The victims, who own a finance company, were kidnapped on September 7.

The main accused, Lenin Kuttivatte, 40, worked with the businessmen at Udaipur.

But he was fired from the job a few months ago following an argument with the two, the police said.

The other accused are Rohit Shelar, 20, Omprakash Jaiswal, 23, Abhishek Jha, 40, Sagar Salve, 37, and policeman Tukaram Mudgan, 43. All the accused have been remanded in police custody till September 15.

“The main accused had placed an application in the victims’ finance company seeking a loan of ₹10 crore to buy a plot in Thane. Before financing the accused, the two businessmen had come to Thane to check the plot on September 7,” said a police officer from Thane commissionerate.

Officer said that the businessmen were kidnapped in Thane and were taken to a flat in Dombivli. “They were confined in a room for two days. It was on the second day, the accused, using the victims’ phone, called the finance company and demanded ₹1 crore. However, the deal was closed at ₹25 lakh,” he said.

Dipak Devraj , deputy commissioner of police, said, “After receiving ₹25 lakh, the accused released the two businessmen and they fled the spot. However, the complainant, Ronak Saini , an employee of the finance company, alerted Thane AEC about the accused’s vehicle number following which all six were caught in Kalyan within an hour on the same day.”