Bid to kidnap Vasco
youth thwarted; two
cops shot at, injured
Police yesterday successfully thwarted a bid to kidnap a 23-year-old Chicalim resident Sayad Ayaz, and arrested one of the accused after a filmy-style chase that led them to Rajbhag, Cabo de Rama in Canacona.
Vasco PI Sagar Ekoskar and a police constable were injured when the kidnappers while fleeing shot them at.
Sayad was rescued near ONGC, Betul, the police also managed to lay their hands on one of the accused Parriket Dileshwar Handi (20) hailing from Assam but presently residing at Pirna-Verna after a long chase for almost six kilometres to Canaguinim creek, Betul.
The police team headed by SP (South)Alan de Sa and other police officials including DySP Umesh Gaonkar, Dy SP Rohidas Patre, DySP Naresh Mhamal and PIs of various police stations were still camping at the site and combing the area till late yesterday night in an effort to nab the other accused who are learnt to be hiding in the thick bushes.
Parriket on interrogation at the Cuncolim police station named his accomplices -- Mohiddin Ali from Andhra Pradesh, Saroj and Srinivas, both from Orissa. The accused are learnt to have been armed with pistols and knives and shot at PI Ekoskar and a constable while attempting to flee at Rajbag - Cabo de Ram.
All police stations were flashed with messages about the incident and nakabandi enforced with all exit points sealed by gun-totting personnel. The kidnapping first came to light when the victim’s brother, Amir Ayaz filed the complaint at Vasco police station which mentioned that a Rs 15-lakh ransom was sought.
Sayad, a salesman at Bombay Bazar, Panjim, was expected to return to his Vasco home on Thursday night. At about 8.30 pm he phoned saying he would be home in five minutes.
But when he failed to return as late as 10.30 pm, the worried family contacted him and he promised to be back soon.
But the family was taken aback to get a phone call at around 12 midnight informing them that their son was in their custody and demanding Rs 15-lakh for his release, Ayaz said in the complaint.
On Friday, the accused also made numerous calls to Amir and his wife at 9 am, 11 am and 3 pm demanding the ransom. By 6 pm yesterday, they threatened to kill him. Some of the calls were made from Sayad’s mobile. The family sought time to arrange the ransom, and at 6 pm, when they tried to contact Sayad the call did not go through, as by that time the police was already chasing the accused.
The police traced the calls to near Rajbhag, Canacona where a white Maruti van with a suspected to be bogus registration number GA-01-S-8404 was abandoned. The police who discovered it had another registration number of GA-01-R-7954 on it attached the vehicle.
A local restaurant owner claimed that the accused visited his restaurant yesterday morning at 9 am and inquired about the location of an ATM.
In Ponda, boy escapes from his abductors
BY A GT CORRESPONDENT
PONDA: An 18-year-old boy, Terence Dias, was kidnapped at Ponda in the early hours of Friday but he managed to escape and two of his kidnappers, Spirit Fernandes of Quepem and Faishal Khan of Cuncolim, were arrested. Two others, Puskal Fernandes and Mohamad Khan of Margao, are absconding.
The victim’s father, Caitano Dias told Police that his son’s kidnappers were demanding Rs 2.5-lakh for his release.
The foursome kidnapped Terence of Garden View apartment in the morning when they knocked at his door telling them that their car was obstructing their vehicle. When Terence reached the car they picked him up and forcibly put him in their Zen (GA 08 5985) and took him to Margao.
They took him to a notary and made him sign some documents. Then, they took him to a shop near Grace Church and made a call to Terence’s residence demanding 2.5 lakh for his release.
Terence however succeeded in fleeing from their clutches and reached his home at 11.30 am. The Ponda police got into action after his father complained and arrested Spirit and Faishal Khan at Margao. On interrogating them it was revealed that Terence had hired a car from Puskal Fernandes two years ago and met with an accident following which Puskal demanded Rs one-lakh to to repair it. But Terence refused to pay, explaining why the four kidnappers attempted to extort the money from his father in the guise of a ransom.
