One more accused, J Johnson, 44, of Karunkulam in Thoothukudi district, was arrested by the city police on Thursday, for kidnapping a businessman and his family for a ransom of 1 crore, during the secon week of January. According to police, he had previously been involved in an attempt to murder case in Thoothukudi district, before he joined the gang that kidnapped the businessman.
Johnson was waiting to board a bus at Gandhipuram bus stand here on Tuesday afternoon. A team of police from Peelamedu station followed his movements, detained him at the bus stand and took him to the police station. He told police that he had been assisting his leader, D Rajaprakash alias Thambiraja alias Godwin, 47, of Nadar Street in Thoothukudi, in kidnapping businessmen across the state for ransom.
Police said the gangsters used to kidnap businessmen along with their families. They earned crores of rupees in ransom. Godwin had five accomplices, including T Paramasivam alias Pantha Paramasivam of Vilankurichi Road in Coimbatore, Antony, Johnson and Maharajan, all from Thoothukudi and Baskar from Arumuganeri in Thoothukudi. Paramasivam was assigned to collect data on rich businessmen in Coimbatore city.
In January 2016, Godwin and team kidnapped S Arulkumaran, 37, a gold merchant and his family members from MM Garden in Sundakkamuthur near Perur and demanded 1 crore as ransom. They came to Arulkumaran's house in a car, attacked their private security guard and entered the house where they threatened him at gun point and stole 4.8lakh, 1kg of gold and a car. They were confined at a lodge. However, the businessman managed to escape and inform police.
Johnson was waiting to board a bus at Gandhipuram bus stand here on Tuesday afternoon. A team of police from Peelamedu station followed his movements, detained him at the bus stand and took him to the police station. He told police that he had been assisting his leader, D Rajaprakash alias Thambiraja alias Godwin, 47, of Nadar Street in Thoothukudi, in kidnapping businessmen across the state for ransom.
Police said the gangsters used to kidnap businessmen along with their families. They earned crores of rupees in ransom. Godwin had five accomplices, including T Paramasivam alias Pantha Paramasivam of Vilankurichi Road in Coimbatore, Antony, Johnson and Maharajan, all from Thoothukudi and Baskar from Arumuganeri in Thoothukudi. Paramasivam was assigned to collect data on rich businessmen in Coimbatore city.
In January 2016, Godwin and team kidnapped S Arulkumaran, 37, a gold merchant and his family members from MM Garden in Sundakkamuthur near Perur and demanded 1 crore as ransom. They came to Arulkumaran's house in a car, attacked their private security guard and entered the house where they threatened him at gun point and stole 4.8lakh, 1kg of gold and a car. They were confined at a lodge. However, the businessman managed to escape and inform police.