Ambernath:  Ambernath police successfully solved a kidnapping case within a mere 12 hours. The Ulhasnagar Circle 4 police acted swiftly to rescue a 20-year-old youth, the son of local builder Sanjay Rambhaji Shelke, who was abducted for a staggering ransom of Rs. 40 crores.

The dramatic sequence unfolded on September 24 when the victim was traveling in his Swift car at Charmus Global City in Ambernath East. The kidnappers pursued him in an Ertiga car, executing the abduction. After the abduction, they contacted Sanjay Shelke directly from the victim's mobile, demanding Rs. 40 crores and threatening his son's life if their demands were not met.

Upon receiving the ransom demand, Shelke promptly reported the incident to the Ambernath Police Station. The kidnappers subsequently reduced their demand to Rs. 2 crores, instructing Shelke to leave the money in an Ola car and send them the vehicle's registration number. Realizing the severity of the situation, the police quickly sprang into action.

Under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr. Sudhakar Pathare, eight special investigation teams were formed to scour the area, meticulously reviewing footage from 45 nearby CCTV cameras. Their initial findings revealed that the kidnappers had used a fake number plate on the Ertiga car, prompting a deeper investigation into the mobile numbers they used.

With patience and determination, the police secretly monitored the Ola car while it made numerous stops to throw off the authorities. Just as the kidnappers grew suspicious, they called Sanjay Shelke, falsely assuring him that his son would return home in 20-25 minutes.

Employing technical analysis, police traced the kidnappers’ location to Pise Dam, Waseregaon, and Padgha in Bhiwandi. A strategic search operation was launched, leading to the discovery of the abducted youth near the dam. The police rescued him safely and returned him to his father.

Further investigations led to the arrest of SIM card vendor Nikhil Labana, Vinesh Raju Advani, and nine other accomplices. Authorities recovered a KIA car, a country pistol, three cartridges, an air pistol, a sharp iron awl, red nylon rope, a black mask, and five mobile phones, valued at approximately Rs. 12.62 lakh.

Several of the arrested individuals have prior criminal records. Notably, accused Devidas Waghmare and Dattatray Pawar had previously defrauded job seekers from various districts, promising positions within the Mumbai Municipal Corporation and collecting Rs.8 to Rs.10 lakh each before devising the kidnapping scheme.