The Mannar Police in Alappuzha have made more arrests in the abduction case of a woman who was later released by an unknown gang of men in Kerala on Monday. The woman named Bindu, was abducted by a gang allegedly connected to a gold smuggling racket, from Mannar and released near Vadakanchery in Palakkad the same day.
"Five more people have been arrested on Friday," said the Circle Inspector of Mannar police station. The arrested are Abdul Fahad, 40, of Ponnani, Ansar, 30, of Paravoor in Ernakulam, Bino Varghese, 40, of Thiruvalla, Sivaprasad, 37, of Kadapra village and Subheer, 36, of Kadapra village (in Thiruvalla).
So far six arrests have been made in the case. Earlier the police arrested Peter Jacob, 34, of Kurattissery village in Alappuzha, in connection with the case.
Bindu was abducted from her house in Mannar in Alappuzha in the wee hours of Monday morning. A group of men had barged into the house with sticks and machetes, the family had complained. Later that day Bindu was found in Palakkad with injuries.
While there were media reports accusing her of having links to a gold smuggling racket, Bindu came out saying she was innocent. On Wednesday she told the media that she had returned to Kerala from Dubai last week. The man called Haneefa had handed her a packet that was supposed to be picked up by someone. But realising that it was gold she discarded it at the Mali airport on transit, Bindu claimed.
She had been followed and threatened by men since she came to Kerala, she said. The family had planned to make a police complaint but Bindu was abducted before that, she said. The gang who took her from her house had physically assaulted her and also snatched her gold jewellery, Bindu said. It was wrong to say that she had any links with the gold smuggling racket, she told the media.