Pimpri-Chinchwad police, with the support of Jharkhand authorities, successfully rescued a 55-year-old landlord who was kidnapped by two brothers, coconut water vendors, and their associates.
The perpetrators, pretending to go on a trip, took the landlord by plane to Jharkhand and held him captive on an island in the Ganges River. They demanded a ransom of one crore rupees from his son.
The victim, a resident of Vinode Vasti in Wakad, was safely rescued from the island. Police arrested three suspects identified as Naseem Manirul Haq Akhtar (20), Lallu Rustam Sheikh (45), and Sajim Karim Bablu Sheikh (20). The suspects, originally from West Bengal and Jharkhand, had also been renting a room from the victim.
During the raid, police seized five mobile phones worth 70,000 rupees. However, Rejul Karim Bablu Sheikh and three others managed to escape by jumping into the Ganges River.
The victim’s son had filed a complaint at the Hinjawadi police station when he received a ransom call from his father’s phone on October 17. The callers threatened to kill his father if the ransom was not paid or if he involved the police.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Sajim, one of the kidnappers, had taken the landlord to Kolkata by flight under the pretense of a trip. CCTV footage and passenger data from the Pune airport were examined to trace the suspects' movements. A special police team was deployed to Jharkhand and West Bengal to track down the kidnappers.
The kidnappers repeatedly called the victim's son, pressuring him to pay the ransom by 10 PM and instructing him to bring the money to Pune railway station within half an hour.
In response, Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey coordinated with police officials from Malda (West Bengal) and Sahebganj (Jharkhand) to gather information and aid the investigation.
With this collaboration, the Crime Branch team, along with Jharkhand police, followed the trail through the Palchagachi, Pranpur, Banutola, and Gola Dhaba areas of the Ganges River.
The team navigated the river and muddy terrain, eventually finding the island where the victim was being held. The raid took place early in the morning, around 5 AM, and the landlord was safely rescued.