Police vigilance foils abductors’ scheme

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It was a heart rending episode where a five year old boy was rescued from the jaws of death squad a fortnight ago. The ruthless bunch of extortionists abducted a little five year old boy from the custody of his mother whilst asleep in his cot and demanded a huge ransom for his release from his father.

The criminals even set a deadline and threatened the boys’ parents that failure to comply with their request would result in the death of the boy. They vowed to kill him if their demands were not met. When they telephoned the boy’s father, a wealthy merchant who owned a rice mill at Polonnaruwa, he was in a state of shock. He could not simply believe that such a fate could befall his little son.

He felt the world was closing on him, the sorrow, trauma and anguish was overwhelming. He did not know how to respond to the situation. He knew the man at the other end meant business. He sounded a seasoned criminal who brooked no nonsense and was remorseless where the ransom demand was concerned. He did not waver or negotiate where money was concerned.

The abduction took place on November 6 at Bulugohotenna in the Akurana area in the wee hours of morning. Four men who broke into the home of Mohammed Aslam at No. 17 Bulugohotenna first stole the Suntel CDMA telephone bearing No. 081-4934353. The men stealthily tip toed into bedroom where the little child Mohammed Arukum was asleep in his cot. One of the men grabbed the child and carried him in his arms to the vehicle parked outside the home. When the child woke up he had no knowledge of what was happening due to his tender age.

Thoroughly shaken the little boy found himself surrounded by four strange men whom he had not seen before. They were all seated in a van with him. The boy was so frightened and cried loudly for his mother. The men offered sweets to the little boy to calm his fears. They took the child in the van to another location and called his father from the stolen Suntel CDMA phone. The father froze in horror when he heard the voice of the extortionist demanding a ransom of Rs. 35 million for the release of his little son. After all it was not the cash that he was worried about but the safety of his toddler.

He realised that being at Polonnaruwa he had to act quickly to save his child. A life threatening situation where he had few options available at such short notice. He was in a highly agitated mood and telephoned his brother in law at Akurana and explained the ordeal to him. He told him to rush to his home and inquire about his little son Arukam. The brother in law rushed to his home and inquired whether any mishap had occurred in the household. When he inquired about the boy from the mother she began searching for him frantically.

But the little boy had disappeared without any trace. He was nowhere to be seen in the house. Meanwhile, the boy’s father rushed in from Polonnaruwa. As the boy was not found he informed the Police Emergency by dialling the hotline number 119, and told them about the disappearance. The extortionist meanwhile kept phoning the boy’s father and told him to be in readiness with the cash. He warned him not to inform the police as it would endanger his son’s life. The father mercifully pleaded with him not to harm his son. He assured him that his brother in law will pay the cash for the release of his son.

When DIG Central Province, Pujitha Jayasundera came to know about the abduction, he detailed Chief Inspector Farook of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of the Central Province to trace the abductors and arrest them. The Special Investigating Unit recorded the statement of the complainant and instructed the father to be in touch with the extortionist. He was told to negotiate and reduce the ransom money demanded by him. After relentless bargaining, the extortionist finally agreed to accept Rs. 1.4 million for the release of the child. He wanted the money to be brought to Kandy town in a car.

According to Police, the four men were involved in the abduction. They executed the plot with meticulous precision without the mother’s knowledge. However, police acted swiftly and within a matter of 24 hours the little child, who was in harm’s way, was rescued and the ransom money recovered. The suspect who rushed in to grab the ransom money from the back seat of a car was arrested at Gampola town. The police after questioning the suspect, learned more about the plot and those who master minded the abduction. There were three of them on the run following the arrest of their colleague.

Chief Inspector Farook had detailed three police teams to investigate the abduction and the extortion case. One team was detailed to liaise with the private telephone office in kandy to monitor the movements of the extortionist. The Chief Inspector handed over crispy marked notes to the value of Rs. 1.4 million to the father. The notes were wrapped up in a parcel. An another man was told to accompany him in the car. When the car arrived in Kandy town, the extortionist told them over the CDMA phone to proceed once again and wait opposite the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens.

Ten minutes later he phoned up againand told them to proceed to Geli-oya and wait for him. Both men waited patiently in the car for another twenty five minutes but there was no sign of any body coming over there to collect the ransom money. Once again they were told to proceed to Gampola town and wait near a petrol shed. The man at the other end told them not to alight from the car but to keep talking. The extortionist feared the men would telephone the police. However the man was not aware that Chief Inspector Farook was listening to the conversation through the cooperation extended by the staff of private telephone company in Kandy. He phoned up again and told them to proceed to Welambada junction and park the car near the Hindu College. By now it was around 2 p.m. The man phoned up again and told them to place the cash on the seat and leave the car without locking its doors. The two men were again told to proceed towards to the church at Ambagahamulla. He told them the child was in the church. Every word he uttered was heard by Chief Inspector Farook. When the men reached the church the child was seated on a flight of steps dazed. He had not been fed that morning.

Meanwhile the policemen who kept a close watch on the car watched a young man wearing spectacles walking towards the car. He opened the car door and grabbed the parcel that contained cash Rs. 1.4 million. The policemen pounced on him and arrested the man, ending a daring abduction and a extortion that began in the wee hours of the morning. Subsequently Police came to know the same gang had abducted a businessman from Mawanella and extorted Rs. 10 million from him last year.