Chennai BPO employee, aide kidnap 2-year-old for ransom

J.Manoj Kumar (22) who works at a BPO in Taramani and his friend, V.Kumaravel (23) plotted to kidnap the child for ransom to sponsor Manoj’s expenses to avail a US visa, police sources said. The duo chose Mohit, son of Shankar and Jayanandhini residing at Pearl apartments in Sri Sakthi Nagar, Annanur.

The main accused, Manoj also stays in the same apartment with his parents and would take Mohit on his two-wheeler every day, police investigations revealed. On Sunday evening, Manoj took the child in his friend’s Maruti swift. When they reached a polytechnic college near SM Nagar, they called up Mohit’s mother claiming that the child had been kidnapped.

“A gang of bikers came and hit the car. They then picked up a fight with us and suddenly picked up Mohit and fled from the scene in the car, pushing us to the ground,” Manoj had told Jayanandini over phone, according to the police.

The child’s father Shankar is employed in a Bengaluru IT firm and the Chennai duo were planning to extort money from him on Sunday, an investigating official said. Manoj himself had called up Thirumullaivoyal police and informed them about the ‘kidnap’. However, the needle of suspicion was on Manoj from the beginning as there was little consistency in his version of events, a senior police officer said. Eventually, his call records showed he was constantly in touch with his friend.

Kumaravel was traced to a hideout in Nellore and the child was rescued by a special team during the early hours of Monday and handed over to his parents. Thirumullaivoyal police arrested the duo and had them remanded in judicial custody.