6 Arrested for Kidnapping Businessman Posing as CBI Officers

Tirupati: Six persons were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a Madanapalle-based real estate businessman by posing as CBI officers and extorting Rs 26 lakh from him.

I Town police inspector A. Mohan Kumar said on Sunday that the accused intercepted Sadiq’s car near a graveyard on November 10. They showed fake CBI identity cards and arrest warrant documents before forcibly taking him to a farmhouse in Tumakuru district of Karnataka.

The accused allegedly demanded Rs 5 crore to settle cases against him and threatened to kill him if he failed to pay. They later made him arrange Rs 26 lakh through his relatives and a friend, who transferred the amount to their bank accounts.

Police registered a case and formed two special teams. Acting on specific information, the teams arrested the accused and rescued Sadiq near the Chikalabailu checkpost on the Madanapalle-Bengaluru road on Saturday. The bank accounts were frozen to prevent withdrawals.

The arrested persons were Raja Srinivasulu, 40, Sohan Bharat, 39, Sarthak Raj, 33, Chetan Raju, 31, Suresh Singh, 40, and Venu Gunasekhar, 30, who are from Chittoor, Mysuru and Bengaluru.

Police seized two fake CBI identity cards, a dummy pistol, handcuffs, a file and a SUV. Another accused, Venkata Ramana, is absconding. Further investigation is under way.