A telecom engineer, who was abducted by dacoits in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district 10 days ago, was released early Tuesday morning, police said.
Jaipal Khalko, 50, a telecom engineer with a private firm and a labourer Tulsi Adivasi, were kidnapped by dacoit Gheesa Banjara's gang when they were working on a railway track near Padarkhera railway station in the district on December 13.
The dacoits had released Advasi the next day but they kept the engineer hostage.
According to police sources, the gang demanded a ransom of Rs. 50 lakh for his release.
The engineer was released near a dam site in Dhobni jungle, about 40km from the district headquarters, said sub divisional officer of police (SDOP) Ashok Singh Bhadoria.
Police claimed no ransom was paid for the engineer’s release, saying that the dacoits were forced to free him because of constant police surveillance and encounter.
The SDOP further said that police avoided opening fire at the gang for the fear of hitting the engineer due to poor visibility in the forest area.
Police zeroed in on the gang with the help of information provided by informers.
The gang was trying to crossover to Rajasthan using the jungle terrain as cover when they were spotted by a police team, the police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}The gang was trying to crossover to Rajasthan using the jungle terrain as cover when they were spotted by a police team, the police officer said.
{{/usCountry}}When challenged, the dacoits took advantage of darkness and the jungle and fled the site leaving behind the hostage, he added.
Inspector general of police Adarsh Katiyar had announced a reward of Rs 15,000 on the dacoit Gheesa Banjara and an equal amount on his accomplice Mehru Banjara.