CBI rescues two Tamil Nadu businessmen from abductors

CBI rescues two Tamil Nadu businessmen from abductors

The CBI on Monday rescued two Tamil Nadu-based businessmen from the clutches of abductors who had forced them to transfer Rs 25 lakh in a Delhi-based bank account through Real Time Gross Transfer (RTGS) and had kept them in captivity since November 25.

The agency also arrested four of the abductors after an early morning rescue operation. The last such case solved by the CBI was of kidnapping in Sarvapriya Vihar here in 2001.

The group’s modus operandi involved contacting businessmen from different parts of the country, luring them to come to Delhi on different business pretexts, abducting them and keeping them at different hide-outs and extorting money from them.

The agency received information from a source that Abdul Munaf and Sanjiv Radi alias Bunty, a historysheeter, were running an abduction and extortion racket. This prompted the CBI to keep surveillance on their activities, agency sources said.

CBI sleuths had also got a tip off that these gangsters had allegedly abducted two yarn businessmen AG Lenin and Anandan after luring them to the national capital for a business deal.

When Lenin and Anandan landed at the airport, they were allegedly picked up by the gang on November 25 and were taken to a safe house in Mohan Gardens locality in South West Delhi from where they were rescued by the CBI officials.

The CBI arrested Munaf, Bunty and their two associates — Yusuf and Rakesh during the rescue operation. The alleged abductors had received Rs 25 lakh through electronic transfer in a Corporation Bank branch here and were demanding more ransom from the family of businessmen. The agency has frozen the bank account in which money was received, the sources said.

“The accused will be produced before Tis Hazari court on Tuesday,” CBI Joint Director O P Galhotra told mediapersons. Galhotra said documents recovered during searches reveal that the accused were in possession of large number of forged documents, which are being scrutinised.

“Preliminary scrutiny indicates involvement of the said gang in large scale money laundering activities. Bunty was involved in cases of Arms Act and other offences at various police stations in Delhi and was also externed from Delhi,” Galhotra said. However, no arms were recovered from the possession of abductors during the rescue operation.

Agency sources said CBI does not deal such cases because of the involvement of other law enforcement agencies but can do so if there is sufficient reason to pursue a source information.