In a chilling case of revenge over a rejected marriage proposal, the father and brother of a woman were allegedly kidnapped, chained, brutally assaulted and threatened with death by explosives in a crime that unfolded like a scene from a Bollywood thriller.
The incident occurred at Nagaroor near Varkala, prompting a massive police hunt for the five accused men.
Police have identified the prime accused as Sudheesh, a native of Kummil, along with Shamnad and three others, all believed to be from Thiruvananthapuram district.
The accused remain absconding, with their mobile phones switched off.
According to the police, Anil Kumar, a resident of Vadaserikonam, was lured to an under construction house on the promise of a job by the rejected groom Sudheesh.
The father of the woman was allegedly abducted and confined in a soundproof room, where he was chained and mercilessly assaulted.
His son Achu was later summoned at knifepoint and was also attacked brutally with a helmet.
Police said the gang targeted the family because Anil Kumar had refused to marry off his daughter to the prime accused.
During the ordeal, the attackers allegedly threatened to strap explosives to the victims' bodies and blow them up if the marriage did not take place.
They also warned that Anil Kumar's daughter would be killed. Investigators suspect the gang had even planned to abduct Anil Kumar's wife before police intervened.
Anil Kumar suffered a fractured arm after being beaten, while Achu's fingers were injured with pliers during the assault.
Achu later managed to escape and alerted the Nagaroor police, enabling officers to rescue the victims and shift them to a hospital in Varkala, where both are undergoing treatment.
A search of the house where the victims were confined led to the recovery of country made bombs, a firearm, chains and other deadly weapons, strengthening police suspicions that the gang had planned an even more gruesome attack.
A joint team comprising officers from various police stations in the capital district have launched an extensive search for the five accused.
Police are investigating whether the gang was involved in other criminal activities and are examining the source of the explosives and weapons recovered from the hideout.
--IANS
