Wife’s brother kidnaps railway officer for Rs 51 lakh ransom

Jaipur, Aug 27 (IANS) What began as the mysterious disappearance of a railway officer turned into a chilling kidnapping-for-ransom investigation, with police alleging that the plot was orchestrated by the victim’s own brother-in-law. Ravi Kumar Meena, Chief Office Superintendent at the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) in Ajmer, was allegedly abducted on August 21 by his relative Mahendra.

His kidnappers demanded Rs 51 lakh, while police launched a frantic search that eventually involved footage from more than 130 CCTV cameras.

According to his statement to the police, Meena was leaving the RRB office at around 5:15 p.m. on August 21 and was riding towards the chairman’s bungalow to collect the office laptop. As soon as he came out of the office, a car allegedly hit his motorcycle and knocked him to the ground.

Three or four men then got out of the car and allegedly forced him inside. Meena told police that he already knew two of them, Deva and Anil. The men allegedly later told him that Mahendra, his wife’s brother, had sent them to abduct him.

According to Meena, Mahendra joined them in Jaipur before the group took him to Nangal Pyariwas. There, Meena alleged, he was assaulted and told to arrange Rs 51 lakh. Meena told investigators that he was not allowed to speak to anyone for around 24 hours. The accused allegedly then took him to a forested area in Tehla, where he was again assaulted. He was subsequently allegedly forced to contact his mother and ask her to arrange the money. But the ordeal did not end there.

According to Meena’s account, the accused later took him to the Aandhi area. There, using his Aadhaar card, they allegedly arranged for stamp paper and made him write an affidavit stating that he would pay Rs 51 lakh and that he had not been kidnapped. The alleged document appears to have been intended to create a false record and undermine any future kidnapping complaint.

Meanwhile, Civil Lines police were racing to locate Meena. His mother, Samanti Meena, had filed a kidnapping complaint after he failed to return home. A special team began reconstructing his movements and examining CCTV footage across Ajmer.

Investigators eventually reviewed footage from more than 130 cameras and traced a suspicious Fortuner travelling towards Jaipur. Technical evidence and call detail records analysed by the cyber cell helped narrow down the suspects’ movements. Police teams from Ajmer, Dausa and Alwar were brought into the operation, with raids conducted at suspected hideouts.

Meena told police that the accused eventually began taking him towards Bandikui. During the journey, however, the kidnappers allegedly spotted an Ajmer police vehicle. Fearing that they had been caught, they reportedly pulled Meena out of the vehicle and fled. By then, police had already narrowed down his location. Meena was safely rescued, while the accused were apprehended with the assistance of local police teams.

Police allege that Mahendra, Meena’s wife’s brother, orchestrated the kidnapping, with Deva, Anil and others allegedly assisting him. The Rs 51 lakh ransom demand, the alleged assault, the attempt to force Meena to sign an affidavit denying the kidnapping, and the subsequent attempt to abandon him have now become key parts of the investigation.

Police are questioning the arrested suspects to establish the complete conspiracy and identify anyone else involved. The case, which began with a railway officer simply disappearing after leaving his workplace, has now unfolded into an alleged Rs 51 lakh kidnapping plot involving people known to the victim and a desperate attempt to make the kidnapping appear as if it never happened.

–IANS

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