Kollam/ Parassala: A six-member gang including Tamil natives on Monday abducted a 14-year-old boy from his home in Kottiyam when his parents were away.
Ashik, son of Manzil Azad from Valimukku, Kannanallur, was abducted by a gang that reached in two cars at around 6.30 pm on Monday. The boy’s sister and a neighbour, who tried to prevent the gang from kidnapping the boy, were knocked down.
It is suspected that the boy's relative hired a quotation gang to recover an outstanding debt of Rs 10 lakh from the family, MMTV reported. The gang planned to take the boy to Marthanadam in Tamil Nadu and ask the family for ransom. They were paid Rs 1 lakh for their 'services'.
In a quick and coordinated move by the police teams from Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts, the gang was stopped at Parassala around 11.30 pm, 5 hours after he was taken from his home. The boy was unconscious when police rescued him. Cops have arrested one of the gang members.
Police rescued the boy just 100 metres away from the Tamil Nadu border.
Timeline
6.30 pm: A six-member gang reaches in two cars when the boy’s parents Azad and Shiji were not at home. It is also suspected that there were nine members in the gang. On confirming that the boy has been kidnapped, the message was passed to all police stations in the State. The gang reached in a rented car owned by a Tamil Nadu native.
8.20 pm: Information that the boy is being kidnapped in a Tamil Nadu registration car was passed on to all stations. The police began a massive search operation.
8.36 pm: Car passes Kazhakkoottam
8.53 pm: Car reaches Poovar police station limits
10 pm: As the police jeep followed the car, the gang took a by-lane, reached Patyakkala, and abandoned the car there. The bonnet and the front part of the car were found damaged after hitting somewhere. The gang walked to the junction nearby and took an autorickshaw. They told the driver that the boy had passed out after drinking in excess.
10 pm: Police intensified the search along all main roads and by-lanes near the Tamil Nadu border after the gang gave patrol team the slip at Poovar.
11.30 pm: The Police stopped the auto near Kozhivila Parassala. Besides Ashik, there were two others in the autorickshaw. The duo ran out and tried to flee. Police caught one of them -- Thekkayil Pulayanvilayil Biju (30) from Kanyakumari Kattathura. The other one fled the site.