Chennai Police arrest four within 12 hours in businessman abduction case
Chennai police arrested four men within 12 hours of a businessman being abducted during his morning walk and allegedly threatened for ransom.
The victim, 57-year-old Kamalesh Abraham, who operates an aluminium wholesale business in Sowcarpet and a scrap metal business in Thiruverkadu, was walking near the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu grounds at Nehru Park in Kilpauk on Monday morning when he was allegedly forced into a car by masked men.
According to the police, the gang threatened him with knives and claimed to possess a firearm while demanding ₹50 lakh. The businessman reportedly negotiated the demand and promised to arrange ₹30 lakh later in the day. Before releasing him near the park, the accused allegedly took his mobile number and removed a five-sovereign gold chain from his neck.
Following a complaint at the Kilpauk police station, a special team launched an investigation. The suspects later contacted the victim and instructed him to bring the money to a location near Broadway.
Police laid a trap and arrested two of the accused when they arrived to collect the cash. The remaining two suspects were apprehended soon afterwards.
The arrested men have been identified as Jai Saravanan (20), Jayakumar (33), Ramkumar (23) and Ponnivalavan (25). Investigators said one of the accused had previously worked as a driver for a former DMK MLA. Police are also searching for a suspected insider believed to have helped plan the crime.
Officers recovered the stolen gold chain, seized the rented vehicle allegedly used in the kidnapping and confiscated three knives. The four accused were later remanded in judicial custody.