Bokaro, Oct. 31: A Hajipur-based gang, who had abducted a Gomia-based contractor and his associate last week, was forced to release them today after police managed to arrest their leader’s girlfriend.

The police said Mahavir Jain and his associate, Nandkishore, who were released at a school on Booty More in Ranchi, had been kidnapped by Chandan Sonar and his gang responsible for earlier abductions of industrialist Krishna Bhalotia of Jamshedpur and jeweller Paresh Mukherjee of Ranchi.

Sonar apparently gave up his prized catch — Jain is a successful contractor — for whom he was demanding a ransom of Rs 5 crore after the police nabbed his girlfriend, Asha Mishra, who was part of the plan to lure the contractor to the capital to negotiate a deal for some rare coins and statues.

According to police sources, after word spread that Asha and another gang member were in police custody, Chandan called them up. He even sent an SMS using Nandkishore’s mobile telling them that he had released Jain as the “police had played a dirty game”. He also threatened to “pay back the police” in the same way. However, the police could not get hold of Chandan who, they believe, escaped to Motihari (Bihar) about 150 km from Patna. Bokaro SP Priya Dubey clarified that no ransom was paid to have Jain and his associate released. She commended her men for a job well done and said kingpin Chandan would be arrested soon. Senior SP of Ranchi, M.S. Bhatia, told The Telegraph that during his incarceration at Ranchi jail, Chandan came into contact with Asha’s husband, Ranjan Mishra, who was spending time for threatening businessmen and IAS officers.

After his release, Chandan became close to Asha and the two began living together. Since Asha was also part of the Jain kidnap plot, she has been arrested with an accomplice.

The two are being brought to Bokaro for further police interrogation.