Kollam kidnappers arrested

Representation Pic

A businessman, his wife, and their YouTuber daughter were arrested by the Kerala Police here on Saturday for allegedly kidnapping a six-year-old girl earlier this week, demanding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh.

The child was later abandoned on a public ground in Kollam after the incident gained widespread attention. Police said the accused Padmakumar, an engineering graduate, his homemaker wife Anitha Kumari, and their daughter Anupama Padman, who boasts a substantial following on YouTube, were taken into custody based on a combination of scientific, digital, and circumstantial evidence.

ADGP M R Ajithkumar said that information provided by civilians, who recognised the voice of one of the accused, during ransom negotiations, played a crucial role in their apprehension. The police, aided by a portrait of Padmakumar drawn with input from the kidnapped girl, successfully tracked down the accused. The motive behind the abduction was allegedly the family's pressing financial issues.

Also read: 39 years on, Bhopal gas tragedy still haunts the city

"The abduction was a meticulously planned one. The accused had been planning the crime for the last one year and was looking for a suitable child to kidnap," Ajithkumar told reporters outside Pooyappally Police station, where the case was registered. Padmakumar was engaged in several businesses, including the operation of a local cable TV network, but is said to be suffering from an acute financial crisis post COVID 19.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever