City Police Commissioner T Rajendran told reporters that Vijay (26), a BTech, MBA graduate and Prabu (29), an engineering graduate, masterminded the kidnap of Keerthivasan and that the ransom amount of about Rs one crore was recovered from them. Police laid a trap to nab the kidnappers by agreeing to their terms, he said.
"The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of Rs three crore. However, we asked Keerthivasan's parents to negotiate with the kidnappers, keeping in mind the boy's safety," he said.
Rajendran said though he had asked the boy's father Ramesh to pay upto Rs 20 lakh, the man agreed to pay the kidnappers Rs one crore out of fear for his son's life. The kidnappers, after collecting the money, left on a motorbike and later informed the parents that the boy was safe in a parked car. "We rescued him immediately," the Commissioner said, adding that one of the kidnappers was related to an employee working in the office of Ramesh.
Keerthivasan was abducted at knife-point by two persons on Monday, an incident which came close on the heels of kidnap and murder of two children by a cab driver at Coimbatore.
Ramesh is into various businesses, including mining.