Pune, March 10 Police in the Pimpri Chinchwad area of Pune have arrested five people for allegedly kidnapping a businessman and demanding a ransom of Rs 50 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, all from Uttar Pradesh, allegedly abducted the businessman from the Rahatani area on Monday and fled in a sports utility vehicle (SUV), police said.
After receiving information about the kidnapping, the victim's family alerted the police, following which multiple teams were formed to track down the kidnappers.
The accused contacted his family members and demanded Rs 50 lakh, threatening to kill him if their demand was not met. They also asked the family to meet them at Ale Phata on the Pune-Ahilyanagar border to hand over the ransom.
"Based on technical information, we learned that the kidnappers were heading towards Uttar Pradesh in an SUV. Accordingly, teams laid a trap near Ale Phata and alerted the Ahilyanagar police," an official from the Pimpri Chinchwad police said.
Subsequently, a trap was also laid near Sangamner in the Ahilyanagar district.
The accused later dropped the businessman near Chandanapuri Ghat in the Ahilyanagar district, apparently after changing their mind, the official said.
A team of the Ahilyanagar police intercepted and arrested the five accused near the Sangamner toll plaza on Monday evening, while the businessman was safely rescued.
Police said that a sixth person, identified as Santan Chauhan, a native of Uttar Pradesh who had previously worked with the businessman, was allegedly responsible for tipping off the kidnappers.
Two homemade firearms, six live rounds, and a car, collectively worth around Rs 18 lakh, were seized from the accused.
Further investigation is underway, police added.