7 arrested for kidnapping, starving Thane businessman
Joshi had purchased clothes worth about Rs 12 lakh from Harad and failed to pay his dues (Inset: The victim, Jitendra Joshi)
Thane district’s rural police has arrested seven persons for allegedly kidnapping a 32-year-old businessman and keeping him in captivity for around nine days.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police (Thane Rural) Prashant Kadam, the businessman, identified as Jitendra Joshi, had purchased clothes worth about Rs 12 lakh from Gajanan Harad (32), a textile trader in Bhiwandi township in Thane.
Joshi, however, failed to pay his dues following which Harad conspired to kidnap him and extort the money from his family.
On September 29, Harad’s five friends allegedly kidnapped Joshi in a car shortly before midnight from near the latter’s house in Bhayander township.
They dumped Joshi at a godown in Harad’s cloth factory at Sonale village in Bhiwandi where the victim was not provided water and food, Kadam said.
After Joshi was abducted, his family complained to the police. The local crime branch then started an investigation into the complaint and finally managed to trace the victim in the godown on Sunday night and rescued him, Kadam said.
The police found Joshi in a fatigued condition. He could barely stand and appeared very weak, due to which he was rushed to a hospital and admitted for treatment.
Subsequently, the police on Monday arrested Harad, his driver Avdoot Shelar (27), and his five friends who were allegedly involved in the kidnapping.
They were identified as Ramesh alias Anil Yadav (38), Mayuresh Mhatre (28), Yatish Desai (28), Pratamesh Walavalkar (27) and Varun Agrawal (32).
The accused have been booked under IPC sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person), 344 (wrongful confinement for ten or more days) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
