Five persons, including a Special Protection Force (SPF) constable, who were arrested on Monday for their involvement in the kidnapping of a 55-year-old man, were produced in court on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as P. Jayaraju, P. Srinu, M. Praveen, D. Srinivasa Reddy, and SPF constable P. Sateesh Kumar, hailing from Rajanagaram mandal, were charged with the kidnap of Dwarampudi Krishna Reddy, a resident of Vemulapalli village in Mandapeta mandal.
The gang was led by Jayaraju, who allegedly hatched the kidnap plan. He was working as an aide in Mr. Krishna Reddy’s house.
On January 5, the gang allegedly kidnapped Mr. Krishna Reddy while he was on his way home. Later, they took him to a hideout in the East Godavari Agency, from where they allegedly forced the victim to ask his family members to bring a ransom of ₹10 lakh for his release. The kidnappers allegedly specified that the money should be sent via Jayaraju.
As per the plan, Jayaraju handed over ₹10 lakh to the gang after which Mr. Krishna Reddy was set free somewhere on the national highway near Kadiyam. From the next day, Jayaraju stopped going to work at Mr. Krishna Reddy’s house.
On January 9, the victim lodged a police complaint. According to Mandapeta Sub-Inspector P. Siva Krishna, their investigation unearthed the role of the five-member gang in the kidnap. On Monday, the police arrested the five members and registered cases against them and recovered ₹6 lakh from the gang. The investigation is on, police said.
