The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Driver masterminded abduction

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Thursday, Jul 26, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Driver masterminded abduction

Staff Reporter

Narrow escape: Commissioner of Police Balwinder Singh with V. Satyanarayana, General Manager of Satyam Computers, in Hyderabad on Wednesday, after being freed from a pseudo-naxal gang on Tuesday. At left is Joint Commissioner Harish Gupta.

HYDERABAD: It was the driver, V. Mohan, who allegedly masterminded the kidnap of his master and Satyam Computers executive V. Satyanarayana.

The driver from Warangal district cast his eyes on the executive’s money on learning that the latter would accrue huge sums through the sale of shares for construction of a house, City Police Commissioner Balwinder Singh told a press conference here on Wednesday. He hatched a plot with his associates from Warangal to kidnap his employer and extort money from his family members.

Blindfolded

- PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

In safe custody: Ch. Vamsikrishna with his father after being freed by the abductors in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

For the past one month, the gang bade their time for the right moment and struck when the executive went to drop his children at Gitanjali School near Sangeet theatre. Four kidnappers drove in a car, dragged Satyanarayana into their vehicle as soon as he came out from the school building after dropping the children and sped away.

“They blindfolded me and threatened me to cooperate with them or face serious consequences. They offered me a meal,” said Mr. Satyanarayana recalling his shocking experience. The journey continued for four hours before they stopped at an undisclosed location and made him walk blindfolded. The gang rang up his wife Kiranmayi and demanded Rs. 20 lakh ransom for his release. Mr. Satyanarayana managed to secretly send messages to his family members and the police through the mobile phone saying he was safe.

Meanwhile, the police picked up Mohan since they doubted his version.

Based on his confession, special police teams were sent to the possible hideouts of the kidnappers at Gudur and Nekkonda villages in Warangal district.

On learning about the police raids and arrest of Mohan and K. Daveed, who provided shelter to the kidnappers in Warangal, the gang shifted the victim to different places before setting him free near a railway station in the early hours of Wednesday.

“I don’t remember the place but they made me get into a train bound for Secunderabad. I got down at Moula Ali,” Mr. Satyanarayana explained.

The Commissioner reiterated that the abduction had nothing to do with IT sector or Satyam computers. The kidnappers did not profile their targets.

He said the police suspected role of pseudo naxalites since they claimed to be ‘Annalu’ and demanded the ransom for conducting ‘plenary session’. One of them was identified as K. Venkanna, who is at large.

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