Maharashtra: Mumbai police rescues man abducted for Rs 7 lakh ransom; one arrested

The Mumbai police rescued a man who was abducted a month ago for a ransom of Rs 7 lakh and arrested one of the accused involved in the crime.

The accused identified as Arjun was arrested from Karnataka's NM Joshi Marg police station, the police official said on Tuesday.

The police further said that four other accused, involved in the case are absconding.

"The victim, who is a flower vendor, was allegedly abducted from Mumbai by five accused on December 8, 2022, and was held hostage at an undisclosed location in Sangli," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Akbar Pathan said.

A few days later, the accused called the victim's wife and demanded a ransom of Rs 7 lakh, following which the police were informed.

"Based on technical information, police teams were sent to Sangli and neighbouring Karnataka, and a victim was rescued after a month-long hunt," DCP Pathan said.The officer further said that the investigation revealed that the accused had a financial dispute with the victim and had planned to kidnap him.

A case was registered against five people by the victim's family under sections 363 (kidnapping), 384 (extortion), and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

"The accused took the victim Ramesh Kale to Sangli district of Maharashtra and from there to another state Karnataka, after which NM Joshi Marg police interrogated about 1200 people, then arrested the accused," DCP said.

The police produced Arjun in the court, where the court sent him to police custody till January 5.

( With inputs from ANI )