Ponda: In the case of the daylight abduction of Ponda-based businessman Sandeep Chaudhary (32), police, on Friday, arrested mastermind Munir Al Shafiq (22), a resident of Mangaluru, Karnataka. The Police said business rivalry was the motive.
Teams from Goa Police, with help from Karnataka Police, traced Chaudhary to Bengaluru within a day of his abduction.
“During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused and victim knew each other and had dealt in industrial scrap. Chaudhary has a factory in Kundaim, while Shafiq has one in Mangaluru. The victim allegedly owed Shafiq Rs 40 lakh,” said DySP Vaigankar.
Shafiq, who deals in industrial scrap, allegedly used his workers to kidnap Chaudhary from Joplinagar, Ponda.
Two police teams are still in Karnataka and more arrests are expected.
Ponda DySP Shivram Vaigankar said the accused kidnapped Chaudhary using a car and transported him to Bengaluru while being guided by him in a separate vehicle. As police began chasing them, the kidnappers abandoned Chaudhary midway and fled. He was found injured after being beaten up by the abductors.
Further leads from Karnataka Police helped Goa Police track down Shafiq at Kolhapur while he was heading to Mumbai.
Chaudhary was kidnapped around 3.15 pm on Tuesday outside his office.
As he exited the office, his staffer, locking up behind him, noticed a suspicious car and Chaudhary’s slippers on the road. Realising something was wrong, the staffer followed the vehicle on a scooter and noted its number. A case was registered soon after, leading to the cross-state operation to rescue the victim.
