Five men held for 'kidnapping' bizman in Mysuru
Mysuru (PTI): The Mysuru police on Monday said they have rescued a businessman, who was allegedly kidnapped by a gang for a ransom, and arrested five men in this connection.
Lokesh, a resident of Vijayanagar, who was involved in finance and real estate, was abducted on December 6, they said.
According to police, the prime accused, Santosh, had known Lokesh for the past three months and believed he possessed significant wealth. Acting on this assumption, he allegedly planned the abduction.
Citing preliminary investigation, a senior police officer said that Santosh was aware that Lokesh visited a club every day and allegedly took disadvantage of it.
Chilli powder was thrown into Lokesh’s eyes before he was forcibly taken away in a hired Tata Sumo. The kidnappers called one of Lokesh's friends and demanded nearly Rs 20 lakh as ransom.
Lokesh's wife grew suspicious when his phone was switched off and did not return home by 8.30 pm, said the police.
Based on her complaint, a kidnapping case was registered at Vijayanagar police station, police said.
Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar said initial inquiry pointed to the involvement of someone known to the victim.
“We went to the scene of crime and found chilli powder and a bullet bike. So, we arrived at the conclusion that the victim was forcefully taken away,” she told reporters here.
She added that after sometime, the victim's wife received a voice note from Lokesh assuring her that he would be back home by 11.30 pm and that she need not worry. Later, Lokesh's friend received a ransom call from the kidnappers demanding Rs 15-20 lakhs.
“Whoever he (accused) had called, we tracked through that number and traced the location to Hampapura. Based on CCTV footage and technical evidence, we came to know that the accused had hired a Tata Sumo and taken him,” Latkar said.
Police formed five teams and, convincing the kidnappers that the money would be paid, they laid a trap and nabbed the suspects from K R Nagar and rescued Lokesh.
“The main accused is Santosh. The accused thought that the victim had a lot of money, so he tried to kidnap him. Within a few hours of kidnapping, we rescued the victim and arrested all the accused from K R Nagar,” the Commissioner added.
The arrested men, police said, are engaged in masonry and painting work. No physical harm was caused to the victim apart from the chilli powder attack during the kidnapping.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
