Vizag MP Satyanarayana’s family abduction: Police recover Rs 86.50 lakh from kidnappers; 4 held
Most of the offenders form gangs in jail. Some accused are lodged with offenders with similar skill sets which make it easier for them to team up and plan offences
By Newsmeter Network Published on 17 Jun 2023 8:35 AM IST
Amaravati: Police have recovered Rs 86.50 lakh from the four people who kidnapped Vizag MP MVV Satyanarayana's wife Jyothi, his son Sarat and auditor G Venkateswara Rao (GK).
The recovery was made after all four were rescued by the Visakhapatnam city police. Police have arrested four persons so far in the kidnap case. The two main accused have been identified as Kola Venkata Hemanth Kumar and U Rajesh.
AP Director-General of Police (DGP) KV Rajendranath Reddy said the kidnappers had collected Rs 1.75 crore along with valuables from the three.
On June 16, teams of Vizag city police rescued the three persons who were held hostage for more than 24 hours by the kidnappers. On June 13, three kidnappers Hemant, Rajesh, and Sai entered into MP's son Sarat's house in Rushikonda and held him hostage. They took Rs 15 lakh from his house and forced them to transfer another Rs 60 lakh through bank accounts.
On June 14, the kidnappers y called his mother Jyothi, and auditor GK. The accused made GK transfer Rs 1 Crore from his account.
"Of the total amount, we could recover Rs 21.5 lakh from Rajesh, Rs 25 lakh from Rajesh's mother, and Rs 40 lakh from Hemanth's friend Navya," said the DGP.
Another four persons who helped the kidnappers are absconding and will be arrested soon.
Prime accused Ch Hemanth Kumar, a rowdy sheeter from Bheemunipatnam, has a long criminal history. Twelve cases have been registered against him since 2015. There are also many cases registered against Rajesh as well
Earlier, Hemanth worked as a subcontractor in MP's firm and was aware of the financial transactions. Getting a ransom from MP's family and GK was the main motive behind the kidnap.
Rowdy sheeters make friends in Jail
Most of the offenders form gangs in jail and commit new offences once they are out. It is not the first time that the rowdy-sheeter Hemanth Kumar was arrested for kidnap and ransom. A few months ago, Vizag city police busted an 11-member gang and arrested Venkata Hemanth Kumar for kidnapping a 33-year-old realtor Koppoju Madhusudana Rao for ransom.
In June 2022, the rowdy-sheeter Hemanth Kumar and five others were arrested for kidnapping a realtor Pasi Ramakrishna for ransom. In both cases, Hemanth Kumar kidnapped a realtor for ransom and some of his associates in the crime were previously involved in the offences.
"While in prison, some accused are lodged with offenders with similar skill sets which make it easier for them to team up and plan offences. Hemanth Kumar also formed a gang in the prison and resorted to the crimes after they were released from prison," police added.
Vizag has 400 rowdy-sheeters
Vizag city has around 400 rowdy sheeters. The rowdy sheeters were categorized into active and regular categories. As of now, around 100 inmates were categorized as active rowdy sheeters.
Most of the rowdy sheeters are under Arilova police station limits in Vizag city followed by Gajuwaka, Kancharapalem, and One-Town police stations limits in the city. According to the police, five major gangs----Hyper boys, Dandupalyam, Chitti Mama, Khasim, and Three Star were eliminated by 2015.
A senior police officer said despite the repeated counseling sessions aimed to change the mindset of rowdy sheeters in Vizag city, some of the rowdy sheeters continue to indulge in illegal activities for easy money. Hemanth didn't mend his criminal activity even after he was arrested in the past and he indulged in the kidnap incidents for ransom.
City police commissioner CM Thrivikram Varma said police are chalking out new strategies to deal with the rowdy sheeters in Vizag city. "Our top priority is to prevent and detect crimes and a dedicated team will monitor the activities of the rowdy sheeters. If necessary, we will expel some more rowdy sheeters in the coming days to maintain the law and order strictly,” he said.
No increase in crime rate in Vizag
On the increase in crime rate, DGP said that Visakhapatnam is a peaceful city. "The city is now free from five major gangs. The crime rate in Andhra Pradesh has not increased, and law and order situation is under control,” he said.
