Pune police arrest 5 people for kidnapping

The Pune police arrested five people on Friday for kidnapping city-based businessman Suhas Pannalal Bafana (43) at Mutha in Mulshi taluka and demanding a ransom of Rs10 lakh. Two motorcycles and five cellphones were recovered.

The suspects have been identified as Pappu Uttekar (21); Duttatray Tikone (22) of Mutha; Vikas Paygude (31) of Mandvi Budruk; Sagar Ranwade (22) of Rahu Pimpalgaon and Nilesh Khade (19) of Kothrud.

According to the police, Bafana runs a workshop at Gathawade Phata in Mulshi Taluka. On Friday Bafana was sitting at his workshop’s office when around 11.30 am, the suspects came on four motorcycles and two of them met Bafana in his office.

Senior police inspector of Paud police station, NS Nyahalde, told DNA, “They told Bafana that his brother has called him and took him forcefully on their motorcycle and went to Mutha, where they assaulted Bafana with stumps and demanded a ransom of Rs10 lakh.”

The suspects forced Bafana to call his brother-in-law Vilas Khiwsara. “The suspects asked Khiwsara to bring the money near Sahyadri Dhaba on Mutha Road. Meanwhile, he informed the police and the suspects were arrested,” he said.