Pune Police Rescue Kidnapped Youth; Fraud Scheme Unravels Behind the Crime
Pune :
In a dramatic turn of events, Pune Police rescued a 35-year-old man kidnapped while travelling from Tamil Nadu to Mumbai. The victim, identified as Venkatesh Subrahmanyam, was detained in Hotel Pingara on Solapur Road in Pune. His timely communication with relatives in Tamil Nadu ultimately led to his rescue by the Robbery and Vehicle Theft Squad of Pune’s Crime Branch.
Six individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, which later revealed both the victim and the accused to be victims of an elaborate fraud. The ordeal began when Venkatesh informed his relatives about his abduction, who promptly contacted Nikhil Pingle, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Pune. Acting swiftly, the Crime Branch tracked Venkatesh to Pingara Hotel on Solapur Road, where he was being held. The police searched the location and rescued Venkatesh, arresting six suspects on the spot.
The names of the arrested individuals are Mohammad Farman Meherban (age 27, a resident of Narulapur, Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh), Arjun Kumar Shivkumar (age 28, a resident of Narulapur, Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh), Devendra Sunil Albhar (age 25, a resident of Devpaithan, Taluka Shrigonda, District Ahmednagar), Ankit Arjun Adagale (age 25, a resident of Powai IIT Market, Mumbai), Avinash Dattatray Kadam (age 43, a resident of Shikrapur Malthan Phata, Shikrapur), and Priyank Rana Devendra Rana (age 33, a resident of New AdarshNagar, Roorkee, District Haridwar, Uttarakhand).
The investigation took a surprising twist when police uncovered the details of a fraudulent job and investment scheme orchestrated by a man named Ramesh, posing as a manager of Binance Pvt. Ltd. According to the complaint filed by Venkatesh at Hadapsar Police Station, Ramesh had assured him of a job while simultaneously convincing the six accused to invest in his company. The accused had never met Ramesh directly but were persuaded to hand over money to Venkatesh, who then transferred the funds to Ramesh’s account.
On January 6, Venkatesh collected and transferred the money as instructed. However, Ramesh switched his mobile phone off immediately after, cutting off all communication. Suspecting foul play and believing Venkatesh was part of Ramesh’s plan, the accused lured him to Mumbai, abducted him near Pune, and detained him at Pingara Hotel. During his captivity, Venkatesh was assaulted and interrogated by the accused, demanding answers about Ramesh’s disappearance.
In that helpless situation, Venkatesh managed to contact his relatives, leading to Pune Police’s swift action and his subsequent rescue on January 9. Following the arrests, the Robbery and Vehicle Theft Squad handed over the accused to Hadapsar Police Station, where a case has been registered.
Further investigations revealed the extent of Ramesh’s deceit. Both Venkatesh and the accused had fallen victim to his fraudulent scheme. Assistant Police Inspector Arjun Kudale of Hadapsar Police Station is leading the probe into the case.
This action has been taken by the team of Police Inspector Vijay Kumbhar, Sandipan Pawar, Yuvraj Hande, Pathan, Assistant Police Inspector C.B. Berad, as well as Police Officers and Police Amaldar of Units 5 and 6, under the guidance of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Police Commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Additional Police Commissioner Shailesh Balkawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police Nikhil Pingle, and Assistant Police Commissioner Rajendra Mulik.
