A rescue party formed by SP S.V. Rajasekhar Babu on Tuesday morning rescued an elderly couple of Madanapalle town at a forest location in Gudipala mandal near Chittoor, besides nabbing a 10-member gang of kidnappers, hailing from Madanapalle, Chittoor and Vellore (Tamil Nadu).
The couple — Radha Krishna and Kalavati — went missing from their residence at Madanapalle on July 1 and it was later reported that they were kidnapped in connection with money dealings in acquiring “hidden treasures”. The police parties from Madanapalle and Chittoor rushed to several places in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in vain.
The couple (in their 60s) were working at a bags manufacturing unit in Madanapalle. Their son-in-law, a native of Anantapur, spread rumours that the couple was in possession of thousands of precious diamonds obtained after digging near temples in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
He had even posted the ‘information’ in social media, inviting customers interested in diamonds. He had allegedly collected some amounts as advance from gullible customers. This attracted a gang interested in hidden treasures, leading to the kidnap.
A special party formed with Mulakalacheruvu and Madanapalle police was checking the vehicles at Valasapalle Cross on Tuesday early hours. Four youth were nabbed after they revealed that they were “hunters of hidden treasures”, digging in and around old temples. During interrogation, they revealed that they were part of a 10-member gang involved in the kidnap of the couple.
After preliminary investigation, the police party rushed to the forest location, rescued the couple and arrested the remaining six persons, including a 40-year-old woman of Madanapalle, a real estate agent who studied up to Intermediate. The remaining nine were school dropouts working as masons, taxi drivers and daily wagers in the age group of 20-40 years.
Changing locations
The gang revealed that after kidnapping the couple, they kept changing the locations in the Chittoor-T.N. border villages and confined them in the forest location.
The police seized three SUVs, an auto-rikshaw, some knives, a toy pistol, small cash and jewellery from the gang. After producing them in the court, they were shifted to local sub-jail on remand.
Mulakalacheruvu Circle Inspector Hrishikesava said a search party had left for Anantapur to arrest the couple’s son-in-law.
