HYDERABAD: Within 24 hours of his kidnap from Banjara Hills, the City police on Thursday rescued real estate agent G. Krishnam Raju by arresting six members of an extortion gang. However, they could not trace Raju's pet dog that was also taken away by the abductors. Members of the gang reportedly threw out the canine from their moving vehicle near Hi Tec city while taking Raju to Jagadgirigutta.

Police Commissioner A.K Mohanty, refusing to divulge details about how they zeroed in on the gang, said police got a tip-off that the abductors detained Raju at Park Hotel on Nampally main road.

"We raided the hotel and rescued him by rounding up six persons," he said.

Plan scripted in lodge

Among the arrested was G. Suresh, 28, of Nalgonda, who is allegedly involved in several kidnap cases and extortion of lakhs of rupees.

Suresh and five of his associates scripted Raju's abduction plan in a lodge at Yousufguda two days ago. Suresh's accomplice Suneel, who is currently in jail, suggested Raju's name `since he was rich.'

Bundling Raju into a car when he came out for a morning walk on Wednesday, they took him to Jagadgirigutta and even beat him up when he resisted.

Later, they called up his wife demanding a ransom of Rs. 1 crore and kept moving from one place to another before arriving at the hotel in Nampally.

Verifying lists of persons recently released from jail in different criminal cases gave the first lead, the Commissioner said. Suspicion centred on G. Suresh of Nalgonda, who allegedly abducted several persons and extorted lakhs of rupees as ransom, since some of his associates were out on bail.

While sleuths were looking out for Suresh, information came of the presence of the gang in the Nampally hotel.

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