Now, a Pakistani angle to Sivakasi kidnap drama

MADURAI: The Sivakasi kidnap drama got a new twist with police sources on Tuesday, confirming that there was indeed a ransom call to the parents of the 14-year-old boy, and that the call was made from Pakistan. The intelligence bureau has been informed due to the 'foreign' angle. What has come to light is the strange case of a boy who ran away from home and how his
Police say the worried parents mistook a wrong call for an abductor, who in turn saw an opportunity in their plight to make some money.Kodeeswaran (14), son of Ramesh Pandian, a realtor from Thiruthangal near Sivakasi, had been missing from home since August 30. A worried Pandian was looking for his son with the help of his relatives.
Meanwhile, a call was made to Pandian's wife's mobile, which she mistook as a ransom call. The parents blurted out to the "Hindi speaker'' on the other line that they wanted their son back and were agreeable to any demand. The caller who had dialed the Pandians by mistake, decided to exploit the vulnerable parents and sought Rs 25 lakh. He gave a bank account number and asked the money to be deposited there. Meanwhile, the boy having read about the ransom call for his release in a Tamil daily returned home. He said he had left home on his own volition because he didn't want to go to school.
Who then called the Pandians and sought ransom?
A senior cyber crime police told TOI that the call was tracked to Pakistan and the account holders traced to Dindigul near Madurai. The Pakistani had dialled Pandians by mistake, but spotted an opportunity in their plight. But how did he dial a Madurai number?
The official said the Pakistani had appointed agents in Dindigul for buying DTH scrap cards from India to beam TV programmes that are banned in Pakistan.
The story unravelled when police traced the bank account, which is held jointly by Eshwaran and Subramani from Dindigul. They told the police that they had received a call from Pakistan two years ago. The caller had asked them to source DTH scrap cards. A 20% commission was promised. The bank account was created for the Pakistani to deposit the money due to the agents. The duo had since been buying DTH cards and selling the serial numbers to the Pakistani, who in turn, used to beam the programmes illegally to his customers.
Police have arrested Eshwaran and Subramani, who said they have never met the 'Pakistani'.
Police have found that the money was deposited into the account from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. They believe this to be a new form of hawala and suspect a network to be running it.