Starved & tortured, trader rescued from kidnappers after 9-day ordeal

Timely intervention by the local Crime Branch unit of the Thane (rural) police ensured that an abducted textile trader who had been kept in confinement for the past nine days was rescued from the clutches of his kidnappers.

A long pending monetary dispute between the trader and his business partner had apparently triggered the abduction. The business associate identified as Gajanan Harad (32), a resident of Bhiwandi, and six others who allegedly aided him in committing the crime have been arrested.

According to the police Jitendra Joshi (32) was abducted by some unidentified men, from Padmavati Nagar in Bhayandar at around 11:45 pm on September 29. The kidnappers had whisked the trader away in a Mahindra Xylo.

Initially, a complaint had been registered at the local police station, but it was later transferred by Thane (Rural) SP Mahesh Patil to the local Crime Branch team to conduct parallel investigations.

The team during investigations found that Joshi was entangled in a monetary dispute with Harad. Based on electronic surveillance, the LCB unit managed to trace the location of the kidnapped trader and rescued him from an abandoned warehouse in Sonale village near Bhiwandi.

A case under sections 365 of the IPC has been registered against Harad and his accomplices identified as Anil Yadav (38), Avdhoot Shellar (27), Mayuresh Mhatre (28), Yatish Desai (28), Prathmesh Walavkar (27) and Varun Dilip Agarwal (32).