Navi Mumbai police successfully rescued a 27-year-old businessman within 24 hours of his abduction, which stemmed from a financial dispute, officials confirmed on Tuesday, according to news agency PTI.
The victim, Pankesh Sanjay Patil, who runs a vegetable export-import business from Akshar Business Park in Navi Mumbai, was allegedly kidnapped on the night of May 18 in a premeditated plot with suspected intent to murder.
In a press release, the police stated that three suspects—Rusikesh Indrabushan Ingole (25), a fellow businessman; Mangesh Kisan Astarkar (23), a mason; and Sagar Narendra Manvar (25)—were arrested early Tuesday morning. All three hail from Washim district in eastern Maharashtra.
According to the police, Patil was attacked while returning home on a motorcycle with his business partner around 8:45 PM in the Turbhe area. A car carrying armed men intercepted them, forced them off the road, and assaulted Patil with sharp and blunt weapons before abducting him in their vehicle.
His partner promptly filed a complaint at the APMC police station, prompting authorities to register an FIR on May 19. Charges include kidnapping with intent to murder (BNS section 140(1)), wrongful confinement (section 142), wrongful restraint (section 126(2)), and assault (section 135), among others.
A special operation involving ten teams—three of which were from the Crime Branch—was launched to track the culprits. Investigators reviewed CCTV footage, scrutinized toll booth records in Navi Mumbai and Thane, and conducted technical analysis while interviewing the complainant and others linked to the victim.
Following a tip-off, police tracked the abductors to Washim, where they rescued Patil and arrested the three accused.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the motive behind the kidnapping was a financial dispute involving the victim.
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