Pune, 26 March 2026: In a shocking incident, a trader from the Market Yard area was kidnapped over a financial dispute, with the accused demanding a ransom of ₹1.5 crore. Acting swiftly, the Pune Crime Branch rescued the victim safely within 24 hours and arrested five individuals involved in the crime.
According to police, the trader was abducted on March 24 from the Timber Market area in Gultekdi. The kidnappers forced him to call his wife via WhatsApp and inform her that he had been abducted and his life was in danger. He asked her to arrange ₹1.5 crore and said he would contact her again after two hours.
Fearing for her husband’s safety, the victim’s wife immediately approached the Swargate Police Station and lodged a complaint. The Crime Branch launched a parallel investigation and formed two special teams to track down the accused.
The kidnappers later instructed the victim’s wife to bring the ransom money near Natraj Hotel in the Swargate area and asked her to share a photo of the cash-filled bag. However, they kept changing the meeting location and eventually asked her to come to Mitra Mandal Chowk.
Based on this, police laid a trap and caught two accused, Pranav Nivangune (23) and Sahil Khutwad (21), when they arrived to collect the ransom. During interrogation, they revealed details about their accomplices.
Following the leads, police raided a location in the Khed Shivapur area and successfully rescued the kidnapped trader. Three more accused, Saurav Pawar (27), Shirish Khopde (26), and Mandar Darvatkar (30), were arrested from the spot.
All five accused have been handed over to Swargate Police. Police officials stated that four of them are repeat offenders with prior criminal records.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of senior police officials, including Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other top officers, with coordinated efforts from multiple Crime Branch units.
