2 Sri Lankans arrested for abducting British couple

Nine people, including two Sri Lankans, were arrested in Chennai, for allegedly abducting a British couple and demanding 300,000 pounds (Indian Rs25.8 million) as ransom, the ‘Colombo Gazette’ reported on Monday.

The couple was rescued from an SUV bound near a house at Manadarakuppam in Cuddalore district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday night by Chennai police in coordination with the Scotland Yard, London and Serious Organised Crime Agency, UK, state and central intelligence agencies.

“A gang of people operated from London as well as in the state to coordinate this abduction. It was a peculiar and a complex case, as it involved two cities in two countries,” Chennai Police Commissioner S. George told reporters in Chennai.

British nationals Thavaraja, 59 and his wife Salaja, 55, who were originally from Sri Lanka and obtained UK citizenship, went missing after arriving at Chennai airport from Colombo, according to a police complaint made on May 29.

The couple had planned to join a tour from Tiruchirapalli to visit temples in the state.

Unidentified men had called the couple’s daughter Dharshini in London and demanded a ransom of Rs.25.8 million (300,000 pounds) claiming that her parents had been abducted.

Chennai police coordinated with Dharshini, as she sent clippings of her conversations with the abductors and sought more time to raise the ransom, as advised by the police.

“The only source of information was Dharshini’s clippings as we did not know who the abductors were and where they were keeping the couple,” George said.
 
Father held for raping 7-year-old daughter

Sri Lanka’s Child Protection Authority has arrested a father and another person on the charge of sexually abusing a seven- year-old girl several times during a month.

After they were produced in Homagama Magistrate Court, they were ordered to be kept in remand custody.

The victim told her schoolteacher about the incident and the teacher informed the Child Protection Authority.

The girl is currently receiving treatment at Padukka Base Hospital.

The mother of the child is employed in a foreign country, Lanka Mirror reports.

Rapist of child jailed for 10 years
 
Jaffna High Court Judge J. Viswanathan sentenced K. Pirabakaran, a resident of Pungudutivu Island in Jaffna, to 10 years imprisonment for sexually molesting a 10-year-old girl.

The crime was committed on May 7, 2006 in the Kayts Police Division, where the suspect was arrested.

Pirabakaran was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment for the abduction of the victim and 10 years for sexually molesting her. The court also ordered the sentences could be served concurrently.

The court also ordered the convict to pay Rs100,000 as compensation to the victim and warned failure would invite one more year in prison.

 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.