Belagavi realtor kidnapped, remains untraced after four days

BELAGAVI: A real estate businessman, who was kidnapped in his own car on the night of February 14, has remained untraced even after five days. The kidnappers had placed a ransom demand of Rs 5 crore for his release and had threatened his wife of eliminating him if the ransom was not paid.

Police Superintendent Bhimashankar Guled said Basavaraj Ambi (48), a resident of Rajapura village in Mudalgi taluk, was returning from Miraj in Maharashtra on the night of February 14 when he was waylaid near Dandapura Cross, about 6 km from his house, and kidnapped in his own car. The next day, his wife Shobha received a ransom call and after two failed attempts to deliver cash, she approached the Ghataprabha police on Tuesday night.

The police have now formed three teams to trace the victim. It is suspected that the victim is being held at a location on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border close to Nipani in Belagavi district.

Giving details, the SP said that after the kidnapping, Basavaraj remained out of reach all through the night and the next day, his wife received a call from his own number when he told her that he had been kidnapped. The kidnappers then made the ransom demand and asked the family to drop off the cash at a designated spot after which Basavaraj would be released.

The realtor’s wife then informed their son Huliraj about the kidnap. They then arranged some money, including Rs 10 lakh which was in the house, and borrowed some more from friends and relatives. Huliraj and a few others then reached a dhaba on the outskirts of Nipani, but the kidnappers noticed that there were 4-5 people and did not collect the cash. They later abused Basavaraj’s family as a group of people were present at the designated spot.

On February 17, the family received another video call when the kidnappers showed Basavaraj and gave instructions to drop off the money at another location. However, only Basavaraj’s car was found at the spot and the kidnappers did not collect the cash or release him. Following this, the wife lodged a complaint with the police on Tuesday night, the SP said.

Basavaraj Ambi himself faces allegations of cheating in the name of money doubling schemes. He was into garment trade in the village and accumulated wealth quickly. He has built a house at a cost of Rs 1 crore and has cars and two-wheelers. The police said they are looking into his antecedents too and probing whether any known people were involved in the kidnap.