Police in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district rescued a Hyderabad-based dentist from kidnappers while they were taking him to Karnataka in a vehicle in the early hours of Wednesday.
Anantapur’s superintendent of police Dr Satya Yesubabu said when the kidnappers’ vehicle was intercepted at Rapthadu village the driver tried to divert the vehicle towards Kanaganapalli.
“But the police surrounded it from all sides. While they overpowered Sanjay, who was driving the vehicle, three others managed to escape into the fields. They could rescue the doctor – B Hussain (57), who was lying in the back seat with his hands and legs tied,” the SP said.
Hussain was kidnapped by five burqa-clad men from his clinic at Bandlaguda Jagir under Rajendranagar police station limits on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Tuesday afternoon when he was getting ready to go home for lunch.
The kidnappers, who were conversing in Marathi, beat up Hussain’s assistant Syed Salman and dumped him in the washroom. They later dragged the doctor into his Toyota Innova vehicle and proceeded towards Shankarpalli.
The SP said the kidnappers first detained Hussain in an undisclosed place till evening. Later, the gang leader handed him to four members of the gang and asked them to take him to Shimoga or Bengaluru in a Mahindra Bolero vehicle.
Meanwhile, Salman, who managed to escape from the clinic, informed Hussain’s family. The dentist’s wife then complained to Rajendranagar police.
“Since Hussain is also into real estate business and made big money, the kidnappers targeted him. They reportedly demanded a ransom of Rs 10 crore through Bitcoins,” Yesubabu said.
Based on the evidence collected, the Rajendranagar police came to the conclusion that the kidnappers had taken Hussain towards Bengaluru. They immediately alerted Anantapur police.
“We deployed special police teams on the national highway and kept a watch on the movements of vehicles coming from Hyderabad. In the early hours, Rapthadu police managed to intercept the vehicle and take it into their possession,” the SP said.
He said Hussain was rescued and was safe. “We have seized the vehicle and a pistol from the accused. We have launched a manhunt for other kidnappers. Investigation is on,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Gautam Sawang complimented the Anantapur police for their quick action in rescuing the dentist from the kidnappers.
