The Siliguri Metropolitan Police arrested the driver and impounded the vehicle on Sunday night in connection with the Saturday morning abduction of a wholesale trader.
Prabhakar Singh, a wholesaler based in the Siliguri Regulated Market, was abducted by criminals at gunpoint from near his home in Champasari on Saturday morning. Early on Sunday, he returned home.
After the incident, his family members filed a complaint with Pradhannagar police which started a probe.
Police started working on evidence gathered from CCTV footage of the area and information given by Singh’s family. A team of the special operation group and Pradhannagar police found a van used in the kidnap from the forest areas adjacent to Sukna, some 10km from here.
“This vehicle was used in the kidnap. We searched for the driver and he was nabbed at Chalsa (Jalpaiguri district, around 60km from Siliguri). He is one of the gang members. Search is on for others,” said a police officer.
The driver was produced in court on Monday. It ordered 12 days in police custody for him.
On Singh's kidnap for return, police sources said more clarity would come in the case in a couple of days.
Seizure
Foresters of Darjeeling wildlife division arrested two persons with animal parts in Siliguri on Monday.
Deepak Rasaily, range officer of the Rapid Response Force of Squad-I under the division, said they acted on a tip-off and raided the Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus where Sikandar Kumar of Uttar Pradesh and Sanju Baidh of Bihar were intercepted. Around 350ml of spectacled cobra oil, four pieces of spotted deer skins and three antlers of spotted deer were found on them. Foresters learnt that the duo collected the items from Assam and planned to smuggle them to China via Nepal.