IS BANGALORE going the Bihar way?

IS BANGALORE going the Bihar way?
Chloroform is becoming the weapon of choice in the city. With the slowdown eating into other sources of their revenue, rowdies are taking to kidnapping for ransom
Vinay Madhav | TNN


The recent arrest of two gangs of kidnappers probably sent shivers down the spines of Bangaloreans. Bhavi Mehta, 17, was rescued after a hot chase in the city, while Channappa, a property developer from Yelahanka, was rescued near Hoskote even as the kidnappers waited for a ransom of Rs 10 lakh.
Police say local gangs are posing a new problem by turning to kidnapping, especially after recession hit the real estate business hard over the past few months. “We get information about people paying ransom to local gangs. It is difficult to track them. They plan their operation so well that the entire transaction is completed within three to four hours. They know how much money the victim can cough up and don’t demand more. There is no scope for bargaining and the money has to be paid within that hour. Most victims are reluctant to lodge complaints,’’ a police officer said.
So far, the victims have either been real estate dealers or local traders who made real estate deals during boom time and used these gangs for such transactions. With their income from other sources under threat, the gangs are resorting to kidnapping.
Recently, police killed Parandama, a rowdy from Ittimadu, in an encounter. He was notorious for kidnappings. The other two rowdy gangs in the city, known for kidnapping for ransom, are Korangu and Cycle Ravi.
“By the time we receive information about ransom being paid to a rowdy, it’s very late. In stray cases like Channappa’s, who was rescued by Yelahanka police, some friends lodged a complaint,’’ he added.
THE BEGINNING
Kidnap for ransom in the city first reached notorious proportions in the ’80s after an employee of a five-star hotel, inspired by a book Zack, kidnapped the son of a central excise department officer. In 1987-88, a businessman’s son was kidnapped. The police rescued him in the nick of time when the kidnappers were preparing to murder him in a mango grove on Hosur Road.
INTER-STATE GANGS
Some inter-state gangs, too, have tested the waters in Bangalore, targeting businessmen. Most gangs don’t go after commoners. In 1997, businessman Nirmal Kumar Jaipuria was kidnapped by a UP-based gang. The case was cracked within four days and all the gangsters were arrested. Ditto with businessman Vineet Vacchani. After a hot trail, the police realized that associates of Babloo Srivastava were behind the kidnap. Though some members were arrested, the case could not be taken to a logical end.
“Such professional gangs do test the waters in the city time and again, looking for affluent businessmen. However, they have never succeeded in getting a foothold in Karnataka. A classic example is Rashid Malbari, who failed twice in a decade,’’ the officer noted.
MANY AMATEURS TOO
“Those who kidnap children from rich families and seek ransom are amateurs. They want quick money and this is their only way. Since they are amateurs, planning and execution is sloppy, leaving a lot of room for police to crack the case fast. Most of the time, they try to escape by releasing their victims,’’ says a police officer involved in many kidnap investigations. This was true even in the case of Bhavi.
However, in 1997, Raksha Prabhu, 3, died minutes after she was kidnapped as the abductors had closed the child’s mouth very tight. They were later nabbed.
Most amateurs fail to keep their victims for long. They usually plan for a day or two, and if things don’t go their way, they have no option but to release the victims. This was the case when a group of engineering students kidnapped a boy from Chickpet, and was later caught.
FAMOUS CASES
Early ’80s: Inspired by book Zack, manager of a five-star hotel kidnapped the son of a central excise department employee and kept the child in his sister’s house at Andhra Pradesh; he was caught
1987-88: Son of the owner of Lahri cassette company kidnapped for ransom. Abductors were caught in a mango grove on Hosur Road
1996: Son of a crockery shop owner was kidnapped from Indiranagar, but released on Bannerghatta Road after police began trailing kidnappers
1997: Raksha Prabhu was kidnapped from her house in Vasanthnagar, but the child died within minutes. The kidnappers went ahead and demanded a ransom, but were caught
1997: Businessman Nirmal Kumar Jaipuria was kidnapped by a UP gang, which was later arrested. This was the first time police had used mobile phone tracking system during investigation
1998: Kritika Shaw, 8, was kidnapped from school. Kidnapper Vatsala turned out to be mentally unsound, who had lost her baby
2000: A gang of engineering students, including a girl, abducted Raghavendra, son of a businessman in Chickpet. They were caught later
2001: Vineet Vacchani, a businessman, was kidnapped and released four days later near Ulsoor lake. Associates of Babloo Srivastava involved
2009: Bhavi Mehta abducted last week and rescued on the same day
2009: Property dealer Channappa rescued near Hoskote, but the kidnappers managed to escape FOR THE RECORD
Police cannot take suo motu action in cases of rape, molestation and kidnap. These are sensitive cases and it’s difficult to set the law in motion. Unless people complain, we have to remain mute spectators
M R Pujar | ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER OF POLICE (LAW AND ORDER)