Kerala child abduction accused wanted to clear debts using ransom money

Thiruvananthapuram: The three persons arrested in connection with the kidnapping of six-year-old Abigel Sara Reji from Kollam on November 27, have claimed that they committed the crime to clear their debts which had increased alarmingly in the post-Covid period.

The plan was to use the ransom money to settle dues.

The arrested persons Padmakumar who is a graduate in computer engineering, his wife Anithakumari and daughter Anupama, were questioned in detail during the last 24 hours the police team nabbed them near Tenkasi on Friday. They were produced before a magistrate court in Kottarakara on Saturday and remanded to 14 days judicial custody.

ADGP (Law and Order) M R Ajith Kumar briefed the media regarding the police probe that helped in nabbing the culprits within 96 hours. “It was a blind case. The accused planned the crime meticulously and managed to neutralise the police moves initially,” he said.

Padmakumar, who is the main accused, runs a Cable TV outlet and is a familiar face in his area. He claimed that in the post-Covid period, he faced an acute financial crisis. His debts had risen to about 5 crores since he had taken loans from various places.

With his income dropping drastically, it became difficult to repay the debts. This brought pressure on the family to look for alternative means to mobilise money.

Since last year, the family has been planning and thinking about various options to make money. Padmakumar claimed that the huge amounts of money amassed by people around him using "clandestine" means had encouraged him to carry out abduction for ransom. A fake number plate for the car was made last year and another one recently.

The family revived the kidnapping plan a month ago. The family used to travel in their car to nearby places to look for children who could be potential targets for being abducted for ransom.

It was during one of these recces that they came across Abigel and her brother Jonathan going home after tuition. Subsequently, they visited the place thrice to check if this was the children’s daily routine.

Once they failed to execute the plan since the mother of the children was with them. On another occasion, the presence of their grandmother came in the way.

On the day of the incident on November 27, they arrived in the car at around 4.30 pm and slowed the vehicle near the children. They dragged Abigel into the vehicle and even tried to abduct her brother Jonathan, 8. The boy, however, managed to escape from their clutches.

The girl was sedated and taken to their house. With police launching a massive manhunt across the state and particularly in Kollam district, the accused dropped the girl at Asramom ground the next day. They left the place after finding that a couple of college students had approached Abigel who was sitting alone.

The accused left for the Kerala Tamil Nadu border and reached Tenkashi. They were nabbed by the police team in front of a hotel and brought back to Kerala on Friday.

The ADGP said the phone call made to Abigel’s mother by Anitha Kumari gave the crucial lead. A local person identified the voice of Anitha Kumari and thus the police swung into action.

Padmakumar told police that he required Rs 10 lakh immediately to clear his dues and that’s what prompted him to commit the crime. Although he owned enough property which could be disposed of to settle the dues, the accused chose the kidnapping option.

The police said his daughter Anupama who is a co-accused in the case, is a popular Youtuber with about 5 to 6 lakh subscribers. She used to earn about Rs 5 to 6 lakh every month till recently. However, the income had stopped after the social media platform decided to demonetise her page. This also triggered the family to look for alternative options to raise money.

Contrary to reports that Padmakumar had lent Rs 5 lakh to Reji for getting admission for his daughter, according to police no such exchange of money had taken place between them. The accused deliberately tried to mislead the probe.

The ADGP categorically stated that there was no question of any transaction between the girl's father and Padmakumar since they were not known to each other.

The only motive of the accused was to make money instantly for clearing the dues.