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Kidnapped software engineer rescued

Vijayalakshmi

BANGALORE: A Wipro software engineer has been kidnapped twice in two months, the second time on Monday night. Fortunately, on both occasions, the engineer, Vijayalakshmi Sivaraman, escaped harm.

According to Tilak Nagar Sub-Inspector N. Srinidhi, who led the rescue effort, the brain behind both the kidnappings was her car driver Lakshmipathi, who had been employed by her for the last two years. The co-accused are Subramani, Nagaraj and Dileep. All of them have been arrested.

Vijayalakshmi (40) is a resident of Tilak Nagar. According to the police, quoting the driver Lakshmipathi, he was driving the Ford Ikon with Vijayalakshmi in the rear seat at around 8.30 p.m. At a pre-determined spot at Agara locality, Dileep threw a stone at the car. The driver got down to inspect the damage when his associates got into the car and threatened to kill her if she screamed. They then drove the car away, leaving Lakshmipathi behind.

The kidnappers kept her in a small shed near Vidyaniketan School in Bommannahalli. They forced her to call her father and send across her cheque books, along with a kidnapper, who was supposed to arrive at their house.

The father, Sivaraman, informed the Tilak Nagar police, who waited at the house for the kidnapper. When Lakshmipathi reached the house, the police arrested him. In custody, the driver confessed to the kidnapping and directed the police to the shed where Vijayalakshmi was lodged.

Early on Tuesday morning, the police raided the shed and rescued the software engineer and arrested the kidnappers.

In the first kidnap act on August 18, the driver and his associates used the same modus operandi. After the ambush, they got into a quandary over where to lodge her. They then released her. Vijayalakshmi never suspected that her driver was behind the act. The police quoted her as having said she never imagined that Lakshmipathi was the brain behind it all.

A consultant manager at Wipro, Vijayalakshmi lives with her father and two children.

Relatives of Vijayalakshmi at her house in HSR Layout refused to talk to the media. Vijayalakshmi had bought a car and hired a personal driver after the murder of software engineer Pratibha Srikantamurthy.

Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008

Courtesy:  http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/22/stories/2008102257830100.htm