Patna, Nov. 5: The special task force (STF), along with CRPF, today nabbed Manoj Yadav, a notorious gangster from Chanan (Lakhisarai), for his alleged involvement in the abduction of a Delhi-based businessman's two sons for ransom last month.
STF, CRPF and Lakhisarai police arrested Manoj, the mastermind behind the abduction, from Chanan forest area in the joint operation. Lakhisarai police forwarded Yadav to their Patna counterparts on police remand.
Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj said: "Manoj is a prize catch in the abduction case. He was the conspirator behind the abduction of the two businessmen brothers along with Ranjit Mandal alias Ranjit Don."
Manoj was wanted in the abduction of brothers Suresh and Kapil Sharma. The two were abducted from near Patna airport on October 21. The police rescued the brothers from Kajra forest in Lakhisarai on October 27. The police claim the brothers were held captive in Manoj's Chanan home.
Lakhisarai SP Ashok Kumar said: "When Suresh and Kapil reached Lakhisarai on the night of October 21, Manoj and his other accomplice dragged them from the vehicle, tied their hands and asked them to board another vehicle. The two were kept at the house of Manoj, who used to visit them regularly."
The officer said that the police began hunting for Manoj after his brother Birju and father Karu, detained by police on October 27, revealed that Manoj was one of the key conspirators in the case.
Apart from involvement in the Sharma brothers' abduction, Manoj was involved in the abduction of Allahabad-based trader Narayan Yadav and his nephew from Barh on October 17. The two were held captive in a cement factory in Barh but they managed to escape.
Sources in the police said surveillance of the abductors' cellphones helped them crack the case. On collecting the detailed call record of themobiles, the police came to know that the abductors made several calls to Narayan Yadav in Allahabad. Narayan informed the police that a similar modus operandi to abduct him.
Police claimed that with the arrest of Manoj and Lalan, they have got the names of all the associates of the gang. Police claimed that as the gang was functioning from Maoist areas of Jamui and Lakhisarai, police were also probing the roles of rebels in the case.
