Abductors set free Mumbai businessman, wife in Rajasthan

BHOPAL: A Mumbai-based businessman and his wife, who were kidnapped from Agra-Mumbai national highway last Sunday, have been set free by the abductors in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, police said on Wednesday.
    
The abductors released the Lokhandwala businessman Bhagwandas Chandnani and his wife Lajo reportedly for a ransom of Rs 20-25 lakhs. However, police has neither confirmed nor denied the ransom which was to be paid in Delhi as per the
abductors' demand.
    
Chandnani and his wife were set free at Jhalawar district and police in both the places - Delhi and Rajasthan - have so far not informed the MP police about it, a senior officer said from Gwalior.
     
The couple was returning from Agra after attending a marriage on February 3 night, when a black jeep overtook their car and forced the driver Dinesh Yadav to stop nearly 115-120 kms away from Indore on the national highway, in-charge of Karera police station, Sunil Khemaria said.
    
Later, five pistol-wielding men dumped all three of them in their vehicle and sped away, while one of the kidnappers took their car to an unknown destination, he said.
    
Enroute they demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakhs from him, but Chandnani negotiated it to Rs 15 lakhs and asked (over the mobile phone) his brother in Mumbai to deliver the money at Delhi airport, police said.
    
After the deal was finalised, one of the kidnappers got down along with Chandnani's mobile to leave for Delhi, while the other got down to have food at a roadside joint. The driver, who was in the jeep then, managed to get down and raised an alarm following which the kidnappers drove towards Jhansi road, he said.