Kolkata businessman kidnapped, robbed by fake CID officers in moving SUV

Kolkata, June 28 (IANS) A businessman from North 24 Parganas in West Bengal was allegedly kidnapped and robbed in a moving car by unidentified men posing as Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers in central Kolkata, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place recently near Red Road in central Kolkata on Friday. The police have launched an investigation into the matter after receiving a complaint from the businessman.

According to the complaint, the businessman hailing from Baduria in North 24 Parganas was robbed of his gold chain worth Rs 3 lakh and Rs 70,000 in cash.

A senior officer of Kolkata Police said, “The kidnappers allegedly demanded a ransom of one crore rupees from the businessman. After the amount was denied, they robbed the victim of Rs 70,000 and a gold chain and fled.”

The terrified businessman filed a complaint at the Phoolbagan police station in north Kolkata. “Based on the complaint, we have started an investigation into the incident. We are trying to find out who was involved in the incident,” they said.

According to the complaint, the businessman, engaged in import-export trade, had visited a shopping mall in Phoolbagan with two of his associates when the incident happened. There, a group of men approached them, identifying themselves as CID officers, and allegedly took the businessman away in a black SUV on the pretext of conducting a search.

When the associates of the businessman tried to intervene, they were assaulted. Inside the moving vehicle, the victim was held at gunpoint and allegedly asked to pay a ransom of Rs 1 crore. When the businessman could not pay up the money, he was severely beaten up in the moving car.

Meanwhile, the robbers came to know that the businessman’s companions had informed the police. Out of fear, they pushed the businessman out of the car near Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas and fled.

According to the police, efforts are being made to find the accused by examining the footage of the CCTV camera installed near the shopping mall in Phoolbagan and also in and around Red Road.

–IANS

sch/skp