Thrissur: The Puthukkad Police arrested a five-member gang on Saturday for kidnapping a 35-year-old woman. The police discovered the victim at the accused's house while probing another case involving three members of the same gang.

The accused are Gopu alias Gopakumar (43) from Kallur Nayarangadi in Thrissur, Abhinash P Shankar (30) and Aathira (30) from Melur in Kozhikode, Jithin Joshi (27) from Alagappa Nagar in Thrissur, and Anju (30) from Vellarada, Thiruvananthapuram.

Police said the gang kidnapped the woman following a financial dispute between the victim and one of the accused Akhil. On February 28, the gang hit her scooter with a car near Aranattukara Road, Thrissur West Fort, and abducted her. While in the car, they hit her on the head with an iron rod, threatened to kill her, and smashed her mobile phone.

They also stole her jewellery, which included a 2.5 sovereign gold chain and a 1.5 sovereign gold bangle. The woman was forcibly taken to Gopakumar’s house, where she was assaulted again. Police said when they found her, she was physically very weak. Cops have seized the car used in the kidnapping for further investigation.

Police uncovered the kidnapping while investigating a case that happened on February 7. Gopakumar, Abhinash, and Jithin, had assaulted Abdul (21), a staff member of a coffee shop near the Paliyekkara Toll Plaza. Cops had arrived at Gopakumar's house to arrest him when they found the kidnapped woman.

The accused have been charged under sections 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 189(4) (armed with deadly weapons), 191(3) (rioting with a deadly weapon), 61(2)(a) (criminal conspiracy), 140(1) (abduction with intent to murder), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 118(1) (causing hurt with dangerous weapons), 109(1) (attempting murder), 310(2) (crime of dacoity), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 190 (guilt of any crime committed by another member of the unlawful assembly) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).