BALLARI: Unidentified men, who kidnapped a paediatrician of the district hospital when he was on his morning walk on Saturday and had demanded a ransom of Rs 6 crore, released him on Sunday after giving him Rs 300.
Four unidentified men, who came in a car near the 1st Cross in of Satyanarayanapet, bundled Dr Sunil into the vehicle and sped away. Later they call the doctor’s brother Venugopal from his phone itself and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore, then Rs 3 crore, and Rs 6 crore in gold bars. They also assaulted the doctor.
Panicked after hearing the ransom demand, Venugopal contacted Ballari SP Dr Shobha Rani and informed her about the kidnapping. Later, the SP also called the police of the neighboring districts and informed them. As soon as the accused got the information that the police were alerted, the kidnappers abandoned Dr Sunil in a field at Somasamudra in the Siraguppa talukand even gave him Rs 300 for bus fare and told him to go home safely.
The police are now on the lookout for the kidnappers. The incident has raised several questions, including how the accused managed to kidnap Dr Sunil and why they released him without harming him.
Speaking about this, Dr Sunil said that during the time that he was held to ransom, a cloth was stuffed in his mouth and his hands and feet were tied. He was also scared because he was attacked. But when the kidnappers did not get any response from his family, they became apprehensive. Also, since the police knew about the kidnapping, they finally released him in a field.
Speaking about the kidnapping, SP Shobha Rani said, “Dr Sunil was a little scared. Therefore, we did not conduct further inquiries. He was sent to the hospital and given treatment, and we will investigate further after recording his statemennt. Sunil’s brother Venu is the president of the district wine merchants’ association and we are looking into whether there is any link to the kidnapping”.
The police are also investigating whether there was any insider involvement in the kidnapping. Dr Sunil’s brother Venugopal is the president of the district liquor merchants association, and the police are exploring possible links between the kidnapping and Venugopal’s business dealings.