Anna University rape accused Gnanasekaran linked to kidnap-for-ransom case too

CHENNAI: It turns out that Gnanasekaran, who was arrested on charges of raping an Anna University student on the university campus on Dec 23, was involved in a kidnap-for-ransom case where he extorted 12 lakh and was arrested too, in 2018.

Police said Gnanasekaran used to stay in Pakkam village, near Uthiramerur, in 2016 and get involved in stealing cars. Later, he sold the cars in other states by changing the vehicle registration numbers.

Gnanasekaran became notorious after he kidnapped a tiles showroom partner, Balachandran, on July 30, 2018, and demanded a ransom of 25 lakh from his family members for his safe release.

After his family and his relative Muthukumar agreed to pay the ransom, Gnanasekaran asked them to drop the suitcase containing the cash from the Madurantakam flyover to the ground. The family were able to scrape together only 12 lakh, and they gave him the amount at the flyover. However, the abductors refused to release Balachandran.

Following this, the victim's family lodged a police complaint. The then Madurantakam inspector of police, D Antony Stalin, and his team nabbed the suspects and rescued the victim when Balachandran's family members went to hand over the remaining 13 lakh near Melmaruvathur.

Police arrested three key suspects, along with Gnanasekaran's mother and wife, for harbouring the accused. The police team also recovered 5 lakh from his house in Kotturpuram. Apart from this, they recovered a fake gun, which he, along with his associates, used to threaten the businessman.

Meanwhile, the two cases registered by the Kotturpuram all-women police station in connection with the leak of the rape FIR on social media were transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Dec 30. SIT has already started its probe into both cases.