Kasargod: Movie Producer Abducted for Ransom - Four Arrested
Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod (SP)
Kasargod, Mar 13: Movie producer Tajuddin (29) had been recently abducted from Kalamassery in the state. The gang which took Tajuddin away had also placed a demand for ransom.
The arrested persons are Sukumar (34) from Muttattodu in Kasargod, Farooq (19) from Krishnapura Suratkal near Mangalore, Zubair (25) from Duggaladka in Sullia, and Sanjay (32), a native of Palakkad Chittoor. They are are being interrogated.
The police said that Irfan, the main accused in the case, and a 25-year-old woman, who is the sixth accused, have gone into hiding.
The film producer, Tajuddin from Kollam Pudussery, who has produced Malayalam movies like ‘Loud Speaker’ and ‘The Train’, had been kidnapped from a tourist home in Tambanur in Thiruvananthapuram on March 10.
The gang, which gained entry into Tajuddin's room by use of force at around 3.30 am, had abducted him in a car. The gang had assaulted Tajuddin, and placed a demand for payment of Rs 20 lac as ransom for his release. They did not yield to Tajuddin’s pleas to let him go, and his statement that he did not have the money as demanded by them fell on deaf ears. After much cajoling, the gang reportedly agreed to release him against payment of three lac rupees.
Tajuddin told the gang that his cheque book was with his friend, Sanjeeva, living in Chaitanya Nagar in Kalamassery. He convinced his kidnappers to call his friend to come near HMT in Kalamassery with the cheque book. As soon as the car reached HMT, Tajuddin got down from the car and called the police, which was noticed by the abductors, it is said. The police came to the spot and took the four persons into custody.