Two more associated with the gang of Ajit Aparaj (40), who had allegedly kidnapped the 21-year-old son of a Ghatkopar builder in March, were arrested on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in another kidnapping case.Crime branch sleuths said the two had kidnapped a three-year-old boy from his Aarey Colony home last year and managed to get Rs81 lakh as ransom from the boy's father.

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The arrested duo has been identified as Ashok Dethe and Sapan Chakravarty.

The police said the complainant (name withheld) and his wife run an advertising company. As they both work, a maid takes care of their boy during the day.

On January 17, 2014, the complainant got a call from his wife, informing him of the kidnap. The maid told them that three people had entered the house on the pretext of delivering a parcel, then tied her up and kidnapped the boy.

Investigation revealed that while fleeing, the accused had left a sack behind and pasted a note on the main door from inside, which said, "If you want your child alive, write your mobile number behind your car and leave your car opposite your office." The sack contained nylon rope, chloroform, sticky tape, sedative pills, torch, and a mobile phone with a SIM card.

After the family informed the police, officers began extracting details of from where the mobile phone and SIM card were purchased and by whom.

The next day, as per the kidnappers' instructions, the complainant left his car opposite his office, while policemen in plain clothes laid a trap. However, nobody turned up. Around 5.30pm, the complainant got a call from a PCO; the caller said the child was safe and they would call again. The call was made from a phone inside a shop in Anjurfata area of Bhiwandi.

The police visited the area and, from a nearby CCTV, managed to get a grab showing the caller, which the maid later identified as one of the kidnappers.

"On January 21, the complainant received a letter via courier which said he should take a new SIM card to communicate with them and paste it on the rear of his car between 9am and 12pm on January 22. In the letter, the kidnapper demanded Rs81 lakh and said if the family agrees to pay 'yes' should be written on the back of the car, otherwise 'no'. The complainant was asked to leave the car at the end of a flyover in Jogeshwari (East)," said a crime branch officer.

On January 23, the complainant received a call and was asked to board D3 compartment of Godavari Express from Kurla terminus at 3pm with a bag containing the cash. A police team in plain clothes also boarded the train.

"After the train left Igatpuri, the kidnapper called up the complainant and told him to come to the coach door when the train started to leave Lahavit station. He was told that while the train was in motion a man would flash a torch, after which he should be given the cash bag. The complainant complied and returned home," said an officer.

Around 10.15pm, his wife received a phone call that her son is safe in a hotel room in Goregaon. The family rushed there and found the boy in a semi-conscious state. The manager told the police that a 28-year-old woman had accompanied the boy and booked the room and left soon after.

"From the nine accused arrested in the Ghatkopar case, we learnt about Dethe and Chakravarty's involvement in the Aarey case. On receipt of specific information, they were nabbed from the ST bus stand in Borivli.," the officer said.