Police bust Hollywood-style kidnap drama

by Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana and Ananda Agalakada

A Hollywood- style daring attempt to demand a ransom of three million rupees by abducting an eight-year-old boy in a masterminded kidnap drama was successfully thwarted by officers of the Maligawatta Police last week after four suspects were arrested.

From the moment the child was kidnapped up to the time when the kidnappers were to receive the ransom, the events turned like in an action film planned to the dot both by the abductors and their counterparts the police. To the amazement of the police the entire abduction drama had been carried out by only four youth on the verge of turning into their twenties. Moreover, the notion that there was a strong probability to even slay the abducted child with or without taking the ransom shook the police as well as the distressed parents.

It all happened in less than 24 hours, where an innocent life was saved due to the swift and clever action of the police. Mohamed Minaj, a grade three student of OKI international school in Wattala was rescued unharmed and was handed over to his grieving parents. Since it was the new year holidays for the school, Minaj was only attending Quran classes every evening.

Minaj who was living with his parents and three-year-old brother at the Maligawatta Flats was usually dropped off at the class about two blocks away either by his grandfather or grandmother every evening. Minaj's father's parents lived in the next block.

On Thursday evening he was dropped off at the class around 5.00 clock but did not return home even by 8.30pm. Although he was dropped at the class by an adult, Minaj always returned home by himself as it was safe to do so because there were a number of children returning at the same time. Since the boy did not return by 8.30 as usual, the parents got worried and began a search for the boy. They searched the entire neighbourhood where the child possibly could have gone to but in vain, the clueless parents then lodged a complaint with the Maligawatta Police which is about 200yards away. In the meantime the police initiated its own inquiries on the missing child.

Grandmother

However, around 10.45pm the boy's grandmother received a call on her mobile phone from an anonymous caller who wanted to speak to her son and hung up saying he will call again in 20 minutes. As earlier said, the second call came through which was answered by the boy's father Saajith Ahamed (29).

To his utter amazement the caller on the other end revealed that his son had been kidnapped by them and that a sum of Rs. Three million was required. Saajith was strictly warned that to he should not divulge the details to the police if he wants to see his child alive. The caller then hung up promising further details later.

The boy's father was in a tizzy , he did not know what to do. His heart was racing and he could not imagine what to do next. he summoned enough courage and decided to inform the police, come what may. He told police that his son had been abducted and held captive for a ransom.

The OIC of the Maligawatta Police Chief Inspector Rohan Perera immediately was on the act. He summoned all his subordinates including OIC Crimes Branch Sub Inspector, Wimal Devanarayana.

He informed senior police officers in charge of the Colombo division about the incident including the Director Colombo Crimes Division. In the meantime the OIC also instructed the boy's father, Saajith to be on the alert and get all the information given to him through phone calls by the suspects.

During that night until early morning Friday, Saajith had received over 60 phone calls on his mobile phone by the abductors who called him from various unknown numbers instructing him what to do next.

Three million rupees

When the suspects asked for three million rupees Saajith had told them that he had only nine lakhs as he was instructed to say so by the police.

The anonymous caller who claimed that it was the final offer given if he wanted to see his son alive had demanded that they come to the Fort Railway Station at 7.00am the following morning along with the money.

Saajith armed with a briefcase full of cash went to the Fort Railway Station alone and awaited for the next instructions. There he was ordered over the phone to board a train bound for Ragama.

As instructed Saajith boarded a train bound for Ragama and started heading towards the ordered destination.

However nobody except Saajith was aware that three police undercover officers in civvies were following him at close range.

Saajith got off the train with the brief case stashed with the cash at the Ragama Railway Station but there was nobody to be seen.

He looked around with trepidation wondering what the next step would be. Within moments Saajith received another phone call asking him to board a train bound for Colombo Fort and await instructions.

This time around, the caller being specific orders Saajith to board the express train bound for Fort.

But for some reason he was ordered by police on another call to avoid the express train and board the next slow train to Fort.

Abductors

The abductors were also very specific to instruct Saajith to remain in the third compartment and to be seated on the right side window seat. The sleuths in civvies who were following him including a Woman Police Constable pretending to be a couple had also sat in the same compartment behind Saajith.

Within moments he received another phone call by the kidnappers demanding him to keep his head out of the window as soon as the train passed the Enderamulla Railway Station.

When the train was reaching Enderamulla they called him again asking him to fling the bag of money out of the window in the Wedikanda area - a little before the Hunupitiya Railway Station.

After passing the Enderamulla Railway Station the train slows down slightly in Wedikanda area perhaps due to signal issues.

Saajith who was on the line waiting for instructions was asked to fling the bag out in the next second.

The moment he threw the bag out he sees a boy standing close to the railway line waiting but not facing the train. Then the desperate father cries out in pain "There is my son, there is my son".

Police undercover officers who were lying in wait in the same compartment jumps off the moving train from the left hand side and quickly move to the other side pursuing the suspect.

Three constables who jumped off the train had captured the two men who had already fetched their great find.

Without a problem the two suspects were taken into custody and the police recovered a locally made hand bomb in their possession too. As soon as they were apprehended their mobile phones were also taken into custody preventing them contacting the mastermind behind the case. Within moments the police learns the whereabouts of the house which had been used by the kidnappers to hold the boy in captivity. The next moment with additional reinforcement the police raided a house in Hunupitiya area where the child was being detained by the suspects. Another suspect who was guarding the boy with his face partially covered was also taken into custody by the police along with a long knife used to threaten the boy.

CI Rohan Perera said that after apprehending three suspects who were at the scene, they learnt that there was a fourth suspect linked to the case who had apparently been the designer of the entire drama. With the assistance of the arrested suspects police summoned the main suspect to the scene who was arrested shortly after. It was revealed that the suspects who were also residents of Maligawatta area had pre-planned the abduction drama to seek money which they believed Saajith had earned through his cellular phone repairing business in the Pettah.

Saajith owns a sophisticated mobile phone repairing shop in Pettah.

The main suspect reportedly aged 21 along with his 16-year-old brother and two other youths aged 20 and 24 years had carried out the abduction. Apparently one of the two youths was reportedly a family friend of the boy's grandmother. He had come near the Quran recital class around 8.00pm on Thursday and had approached Minaj when was returning home. The child had recognised the adult who had come bearing a message from his parents saying that they were at a funeral and that he was asked to bring him there as well. Believing this story the boy goes with the suspect on a push bicycle and at one point another man takes over the bike and peddles it to the house in Hunupitiya.

There they had fed the child with a fried rice portion and given him a place to sleep until the morning saying he could see his parents. At no point had they harmed the boy.

Investigations revealed that the suspects had rented out the house in Hunupitiya a few weeks prior to the incident.

And to their amazement they learn that the main suspect had become a father on Thursday where his newly wedded wife had given birth to a child. Saajith speaking to the Sunday Observer said how could a parent have the heart to steal a child of another parent knowing the agony of losing one's child. Little Minaj still not understanding much about what happened to him told us that he went with the person as he had seen him coming on previous occasions to his grandmother's house and that he didn't entertain any fear because he was no stranger to him.

Explaining the gravity of the case CI Perera said that the suspects already knew that the boy would identify one of them who was close to his family and even when he is released after taking the ransom, there will be no chance for them to hide forever. Therefore it only leads to one conclusion that the child would have been however killed by the suspects even if they received the ransom. But it was doubtful whether the suspects had any idea that the briefcase that was supposed to have Rs.3million in cash only bore stacks of neatly packed bundles of plain paper.

Maligawatta Police conducted the investigations lead by OIC CI Rohan Perera, OIC Crime SI Wimal Devanarayana, Sub Inspectors Sugath Chandana, Namasiriratne, Sanath Manjula and Constables Abeysinghe (8483), Vithana (50936), Rasnayaka (67270), Damith (70736), Isuru (74428), Mendis (76865), Liyanage (85904), Wijethunga (82339), Suranga (86357), WPC Sajeewani (7035) on the instructions of DIG Colobmo Range D. S. Goonawardena, Acting ASP Colombo Central M. K. Dayananda, Director Crime Division Colombo Nuwan Wedasinghe, ASP III Colombo Central Sanjaya Irasinghe and Acting ASP II Colombo Central Jayarathna.