The planning was painstaking and close to perfection. Enough to lull Gunjan Ghosh, architect of Roma Jhawar?s abduction, into a premature sense of success.

?Aami bhabteyo parini dhora porey jabo (I never thought I would get caught),? admitted Gunjan, during interrogation on Thursday evening.

Sporting a green-and-yellow check cotton shirt and a cotton pyjama-type trouser, Gunjan remained calm throughout the questioning, just breaking down once while talking about wife Rumela.

?I first met Arvind Bhai in Salt Lake during last year?s Jagaddhatri puja. He was moving around KB-KC block with his friend Bobby. The first day, he inquired about my income. The next day, he said he had a job that would fetch me a huge amount,? recounted Gunjan.

A third-year dropout from Bangabasi College of Commerce, Gunjan claimed Arvind had asked him to keep part of the ransom amount with him.

?He had said he would call me later,? Gunjan told sleuths about his last interaction with the still-absconding Arvind.

Gunjan claimed he desperately needed the money. ?I had sent my white Maruti van for repairs and the red one was in bad shape. It was becoming difficult to transport the schoolchildren. I desperately needed a car. I also had to pump money into my other business of electrical fittings,? he explained.

Gunjan?s cell phone made it easy for the cops to track down the kidnappers. Once Roma?s mobile was de-activated, Gunjan started using his own mobile phone.

Calls made on his phone subsequent to his arrest helped sleuths round up a few others, including the ?substitute driver?, Chander.

?A day or two before Jagaddhatri puja, Arvind asked me to meet him at Himalaya Hotel, on Mahatma Gandhi Road, to discuss the sale of old cars. Next day, we went to see some used cars and while returning, near tank no. 2 in Salt Lake, Arvind stopped the car and discussed the kidnap plan,? Chander said during interrogation.