Patna: The Gaya police rescued a kidnapped businessman of Jharkhand, Samir Kumar, during a vehicle checking drive in Gaya town, around 100km south of Patna, late on Friday night.

The police arrested four kidnappers and also seized a sports utility vehicle (SUV) without a registration number, which was used to kidnap the trader from Barhi near Hazaribagh in Jharkhand on Friday. A police team attached to the Rampur police station in Gaya intercepted an SUV during a vehicle checking drive on New Police Lines Road around 9.30pm and asked the driver to show the documents of the vehicle.

The driver tried to escape with the vehicle but was apprehended by the cops. The cops spotted a middle-aged man in the SUV. Four other occupants made an abortive bid to escape. Samir told the police that he had been kidnapped from Hazariabgh.

Samir told interrogators that one Sunil Kumar, a resident of Jehanabad in Bihar, had called him at Barhi yesterday to pay Rs 12 lakh for purchasing books from his shop. Samir runs a book shop at Bariatu Road in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand.

"I couldn't apprehend any foul play and readily agreed to see him at Barhi. When I reached there, Sunil requested me to come to a local dhaba (eatery). On the way, another man identified as Ranjan Kumar joined him (Sunil). Later, I realised that I had been kidnapped," he told the police.

Samir, however, got an opportunity to send a text message from his cellphone to his relatives about his kidnapping. When they reached Gaya, he alerted his family members and provided the location of the vehicle carrying him.

The Gaya police swung into action and recovered him safely. The arrested persons were identified as Sunil Kumar, Ranjan Kumar, Sushil Kumar and Sanjay Kumar (driver), all residents of Jehanabad district.

Gaya deputy superintendent of police (town) Alok Kumar said Samir was kidnapped for ransom. "We have informed our counterparts in Jharkhand and the arrested persons will be handed over to them," he added. The criminal antecedents of the arrested persons were also being verified.