Police rescue Chennai businessman Charles kidnapped from Kelambakkam-Navalur stretch

On June 27, Thalambur police rescued a 56-year-old real-estate businessman who was kidnapped from the Kelambakkam-Navalur stretch in Chennai by a four-member gang demanding a Rs 1 crore ransom. The victim, Charles, who is a resident of Medavakkam and a stakeholder in the firm Neo Max, was tracked down to a farmhouse in Madurai and rescued, leading to the arrest of four suspects.

The incident unfolded on June 27 when Charles was travelling in his luxury car along the Kelambakkam-Navalur stretch. His driver, 30-year-old Shyam, parked the vehicle at a shopping mall and stepped out briefly. During his absence, the four-member gang entered the vehicle, threatened Charles, took control of the car, and drove away with the businessman inside.

Following the abduction, the Thalambur police analyzed CCTV footage to trace the suspects. The investigation led the police team to Madurai district, where they located the victim held captive in a farmhouse. Police rescued Charles unharmed and seized three cars that were used by the gang to commit the crime.

The police arrested four individuals in connection with the kidnapping. The suspects have been identified as Dinesh Pandiyan, aged 34, Dinesh Kumar, aged 33, and Sabari, aged 26, all hailing from Ramanathapuram district, alongside Karuppasamy, aged 24, from Coimbatore district. The four arrested men have been remanded in judicial custody.

During the investigation, police uncovered that this was the second time the same gang had successfully kidnapped Charles within a span of just seven months. In the first kidnapping incident, the gang was paid a ransom of Rs 1.4 crore for his release. Since Charles’s family members did not file a police complaint after the first abduction, the gang targeted him a second time, demanding a Rs 1 crore ransom.

According to the police, Charles is a stakeholder in Neo Max, a real-estate firm that is currently facing allegations of cheating investors.