A woman who was kidnapped from Mannar in Alappuzha was found in Palakkad on Monday. She was abducted from her house during the wee hours of Monday. An accountant at a supermarket in the Middle East, Bindu (32), had returned from the Middle East four days ago. According to her family, the gang, who were carrying weapons, entered through the gate and rang the bell. The gang is said to have forcibly broken down the door and carried Bindu away. Bindu's mother was injured during the incident.
According to her family, Bindu was supposedly under observation by the gang. Her husband, Binoy, said unknown visitors had dropped by their home asking about the whereabouts of gold. She is also said to have received phone calls asking the same. When she denied knowledge of the matter, they cut the call stating it was a wrong number.
Based on Bindu’s statement, efforts are on to nab the accused. During the course of investigation, police have discovered that Bindu visits Kerala frequently and suspect that she could be a carrier for a gold smuggling gang.
Meanwhile, it would seem that kidnapping is turning into a regular affair in Kerala. A youth was kidnapped by a gang at Nadapuram, Kozhikode, early Friday morning. Thirty-year-old Ajnas, a native of Perambra, and his friends, were returning from watching a volleyball match when the incident happened. The gang is said to have attacked the group and pushed Ajnas into Innova car that did not have a number plate.
The case however took a turn when the kidnapped youth, freed by the gang, appeared before the police late in the day. Police sources said Ajnas was kidnapped by the gang in connection with a suspected gold smuggling case. An officer said Ajnas was targeted by the gang as he was suspected of hiding a huge cache of gold smuggled through the Kannur International Airport. Ajnas was reportedly in police custody till Saturday evening as he was quizzed about the purported smuggling incident and gold deal.
On February 13, an NRI businessman was allegedly kidnapped from Nadapuram by an unidentified gang which demanded Rs 1 crore as ransom. As per reports, TK Ahammed, a Koyilandy native who runs a business in Qatar, was abducted by the gang when he was on the way to town on his scooter. According to Ahammed’s relatives, he was kidnapped for terminating an employee from his business firm in Qatar.
The 53-year-old was released on February 15. The Nadapuram Police said the gang left Ahammed somewhere near Vadakkara. The police are yet to make any arrests and are investigating whether there is any hawala or gold smuggling links.
