Two including woman awarded life term in 2010 kidnapping case
Kolkata: Two persons including a woman were convicted and awarded life imprisonment for abducting a businessman and claiming ransom from his families.
The incident took place on September 3 in 2010. A cloth merchant, identified as Shaikh Aslam of South Topsia Road, was abducted at gunpoint by some criminals. From the next day, his family members started getting multiple phone calls asking for a ransom of Rs 35 lakh. The miscreants threatened his family to kill Aslam if they did not pay the amount.
Terrified by the ordeal, Aslam's family members begged for his life and a negotiation was done, with the miscreants agreeing to free him in exchange of Rs 10 lakh. As per the deal, Aslam's family members gave them Rs 10 lakh and he returned home on September 5.
Meanwhile, Aslam's manager Chandan Das lodged a complaint with the Topsia police station regarding the abduction. During investigation, sleuths from the Anti-Rowdy Section of the Detective Department managed get hold of some information from their sources.
It was learnt that Md Sadique alias Gudda, who is a dreaded criminal, was behind the incident. He was released on bail from judicial custody a few days before the incident took place. Later, sleuths managed to nab Gudda and two others identified as Samsud Begum alias Putul and Wasim Parvez.
Later, during Test Identification (TI) parade, Aslam and other witnesses of the kidnapping indentified the trio. During interrogation they confessed to the crime and informed that Aslam was kept confined at a secret place in Sonarpur area.
They also told sleuths about the money kept in multiple secret hideouts in Howrah, Kolkata and Asansol. Based on the statement, police recovered Rs 3 lakh and a bike which was used for kidnapping Aslam.
After gathering evidence, the sleuths submitted chargesheet against the trio. While the case was going on, Gudda who was the prime accused in the case, died while he was in judicial custody at Dum Dum Correctional Home. A few days ago, the two other accused were convicted under sections 364A IPC (kidna-pping for ransom) and 120B IPC (criminal conspiracy). Following conviction, the duo was awarded rigorous life imprisonment by a city court.
