Raidurgam Police Bust Eight-member Gang For Kidnapping Employees After Posing As CID Team

Police arrested the accused hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad for kidnapping three employees of a software company in Gachibowli. Four cars, sixteen mobile phones, and Rs 35,000 in cash were confiscated from them.

Hyderabad:The Raidurgam police on Tuesday busted a gang of eight people including police officials who allegedly posed as Crime Investigation Department (CID) officials of Andhra Pradesh and kidnapped three employees of a software company in Gachibowli for ransom. The officials seized as many as four cars, sixteen mobile phones, and Rs 35,000 in cash.

Police officials said that the accused hailed from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad and a complaint was filed at the Raidurgam Police Station by Darshan Sugunakara Shetty, the director of the said firm, AJA ADS India Private Limited, which has a strength of over 40 employees and handles US IT hiring and IT support.

Madhapur Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dr Vineeth G said the accused are Advocate Balinga Rahul, 33, Dadiboina Subba Krishna, 40, student Sandeep Kumar, 31, real estate agent Vijay Shekar, 32, ex-manager Akkera Ranjith Kumar, 47, Mahendra Kumar, 38, IT expert Shaikh Mohammed Abdul Qadir, 33, and Raghu Raju, 33.

It is understood that two police officials, who aided the gang, are on the run. "Initially, it was Mahendra and Ranjith, who devised a plot to demand a hefty amount from Shetty. Mahendra discussed it with a Kurnool police officer SI Sujan and then approached the IT company on January 26 under the pretence of being police agents," police sources said.

Police sources added the accused said that they had received a report from US authorities stating irregularities in the company and demanded Rs. 10 crore as compensation. "In the end, after negotiations, the amount was settled at Rs 2.3 crore," police sources added.

According to them, Shetty begged saying he only had Rs 71.80 lakhs in the company's accounts. "Ultimately, he transferred Rs 26 lakhs. Later, they took the three employees to the Balcony Hotel in Madapur and threatened to kill them if the remaining amount was not paid," police sources added.

"The accused even called the director for the rest of the money but got no response. Thereafter they left them and fled. Shetty then summoned the Rayadurgam Police. On January 28, we arrested the accused but initially, they did not admit to having committed the crime. They were later taken to the police station and put through a series of methodical interrogations after which they finally admitted the crime," police sources added.