07 May,2009 08:20 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Abducted marble dealer was released from Bangkok after 36 days, cops are on the lookout for Mumbaikar who lured him with business deal bait
The Rajasthan-based marble dealer, who was lured with a Rs 4-crore business deal bait in Bangkok from where he was abductedu00a0 (reported in MiD DAY on April 10), was released after 36 days and was happy to be home yesterday.
Arun Bharadia alias Bunty (28) wants to put behind the past and move on. Recalling the incident, Bharadia told MiD DAY from his house in Chitaur, Rajasthan, "I was taken to a building and was locked in a room in Bangkok.
They (abductors) did assault me, but not regularly. However, I want to forget this incident and I'm happy to be back."u00a0
According to Bharadia, Mumbai-based Bhadresh Shah, who lured him with the deal bait, was the brain behind the abduction. Though Bharadia may be in the safe confines of his house now, the case is far from over for the Rajasthan police. His abrupt release has raised a few questions in their minds and they are planning to continue investigations after interrogating the victim and his family.
Kapil Garg, additional director general of police (ATS), Rajasthan, told MiD DAY, "Our only role was to put immense pressure on the Royal Thai police through the Interpol and the Indian Embassy in Thailand, which probably worked in our favour."
According to the police, Bharadia's family members recently visited Bangkok and were constantly trying to negotiate the ransom amount, which started from Rs 5 crore. After settling for Rs 2 crore the family returned to India, soon after which Bharadia was released. However, the police were not sure if the ransom was paid. On learning about the release on May 2, the Rajasthan police provided protection to Bharadia. Garg said, "On receiving the intimation of Bharadia's release in Thailand, we coordinated with the Indian Embassy, arranged for his visa and ensured that he was provided protection round-the-clock till he boarded the flight from Bangkok to Delhi and on his way to his hometown."
Case history
Bhadresh Shah (50) met Arun Bharadia through a reputed hotelier in Udaipur on March 16. Bhadresh informed Bharadia that a Bangkok-based builder was keen to procure 70 containers of flooring marbles for his construction project. Bhadresh asked Bharadia to e-mail sample photos of the marbles with the quotation urgently, after which the latter was assured a business deal worth Rs 4 crore.
A few days later, Bhadresh contacted Bharadia stating that the builder has okayed the samples and has called them to Bangkok for finalising the contract. On March 25, Bharadia took a flight to Bangkok from Mumbai. The next day his family received a call informing them that Bharadia had been abducted and asked for a ransom of u00a0Rs 5 crore.
