Kidnapped youth reaches city after release

Nikhil Bhardwaj

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 22

Jalandhar youth Ajay Kumar, who was kidnapped in Thailand, today reached  hometown Jalandhar. As per sources, a ransom of around Rs 8 lakh was paid to secure his release from the Punjab-based kidnappers.

Interestingly, the kingpin of the kidnapping racket is a Jalandhar-based woman, Bibi Jagir Kaur, running a Ragi Jatha in Thailand and Malaysia. She, along with Paramjit of Moga and some others persons from the state, orchestrated the kidnapping in Thailand. 

Her sons Ravinder and Harkanwal were friends of the victim. Harkanwal had persuaded Ajay and took him to Thailand saying that he would only have to bear the expenses of the air ticket while he would not be required to pay the lodging expenses.

Rs 8 lakh ransom paid 

Since Ajay belongs to a middle class family and the kidnappers were demanding Rs 10 lakh from the family to secure his safe release or they threatened to kill the victim. The deal was settled for Rs 8 lakh. Family members and private donors managed to arrange the ransom money and paid it to the kidnapper in installments. 

Sources said Rs 1.75 lakh was deposited in the bank account provided by the kidnapper while Rs 5.75 lakh was personally handed over to the person specified by the kidnapper. 

Victim locked at hotel 

Since Ajay had gone to Thailand along with woman Jagir’s son Harkanwal. After reaching the airport in Thailand, Harkanwal took him to some hotel located in an isolated place in Hatia city near Malaysia border. Ajay, while talking to The Tribune said, “After we reached Hatia city, my friend Harkanwal snatched my passport, mobile phone and foreign currency. When I pleaded before Harkanwal’s mother, she supported her son and termed his move right. She then asked me to arrange Rs 10 lakh as ransom money otherwise threatened to kill me.” 

“I was tortured every night. Apart from Harkanwal and her mother, four more Punjabi youths were there who used to torture me. The kidnapper used to hit my head and ankles with bear bottles. He used to pin needles in my body. I was also given electric shocks and made my parents listen to my shrieks during torture,” he added.

The case

On June 16, a Jalandhar youth Ajay Kumar, resident of New Shastri Nagar, was kidnapped in Thailand and the kidnappers had demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom money to free the youth. Ajay, along with his friend Harkanwal, had boarded a train to Kolkata on June 10 from Jalandhar. On June 13, the duo had boarded a flight to Thailand and on June 14, Ajay was kidnapped. The police had arrested kidnapper’s friend Lakhwinder of Moga and his brother Harvinder.