Crime Patrol: City-based kidnappers’ gang nabbed in Raipur (Episode 731 on 4th Nov, 2016)

Target: Gang of four kidnappers chooses a wrong target

The Inside Story

A gang of kidnappers from Nagpur has been caught by the Raipur police in Chhattisgarh for a series of kidnappings over the past three months in neighbouring states. The gang members, who also have a record of offences in their hometown, stayed at a rented apartment in Kabir Nagar on the outskirts of Raipur. The four members of the gang used to pose as job seekers and marketing executives to create a base in the city and then plotted kidnappings of wealthy businessmen or industrialists. Their modus operandi was to scan the advertisement section of local newspapers for prospective sellers of big properties and lure them into their traps.

The gang made a failed attempt followed by a successful bid in which they had earned Rs10 lakh. However, they were caught in the latest attempt when they had abducted Durg-based industrialist Vivek Goel. The gang's mastermind, Ravindra Rao, was apprehended by Raipur police's special squad when he had come to receive the first instalment of the ransom. The gang had also been planning a similar abduction of a businessman in Bhilai.

Raipur police have stated that the gang had stolen a car from Rajnandgaon and likely had criminal records in Nagpur. The police are trying to gather information about possible offences registered against them in other states. The Nagpur police crime branch has also been alerted regarding the gang's activities. The gang had rented an apartment on the ring road to shuttle easily between Durg and Bhilai and create their den outside the city, where the police's vigilance is generally weaker.

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