Vijayapura: Extortion racket rears its head again; Youth abducted, tortured for ransom

Vijayapura: The extortion gangs have reared their heads again in the district. It has come to light that police have launched an investigation to trace a Bidar-based man who has been allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and demanded to pay the ransom by goons.

The victim is identified as Ravi Rathod, a resident of Aurad in the Bidar district.

The family of the victim has alleged that a person named Eeranna Hunnalli from Alamela has ordered the abduction over a dispute about advance payment related to sugarcane harvest.  The dispute was for Rs 6 lakhs, but, the goondas who abducted the youth have demanded a payment of Rs 30 lakhs for his release, they said in a complaint to the police.

Sources said that Ravi had facilitated his friend Maruti Jadhav get a sum of Rs 6 lakhs from Eeranna as an advance for the harvest of sugarcane. However, Jadhav disappeared with the money. Eeranna is suspected to have planned the abduction with the help of a gang to recover this money.

Ravi’s parents also said that they were receiving phone calls where the victim can be heard in agony from the torture inflicted. They also alleged that the goons have a wide network and have information on police movements, and this has caused further anxiety over the wellbeing of their son.

According to his parents, Ravi has been abducted from Marlak Kh. in Nanded district of Maharashtra. The Nanded police in Maharashtra, who have lodged a complaint, have reached Alamela in the district and are searching for the whereabouts of the accused and the victim.

Meanwhile, the case is taking a serious turn and a team of police led by DSP Sridhar Doddi of Indi sub-division of Vijayapura district is also said to have gone into action on the orders of SP Anandkumar.