News
Au revoir brother, I want your euros
The plot was hatched at a location in France and the abduction staged in the village of Kurukkalputhkulam-Vavuniya, and those involved in the drama were the members of a single family. It all began in 2008 when 27-year-old Darshan Sriskandarajah was caught up in a motor accident in France, forcing him to seek medical treatment at tremendous cost.
Nearly five years after the accident and a prolonged court battle the young man, a native of Vavuniya, was handed Euros 80,000 (Rs 10 million) in compensation. It was this money that led to a two-day ordeal on Saturday last week for the youngster’s father, 56-year-old Markandu Sri Skandarajah.
Police investigations show the youngster’s paternal uncle, residing in France for the past two and a half decades, had given support to his nephew during the court proceedings, helping him to obtain the compensation cash. It is learnt that the uncle had demanded that his nephew hand over the entire sum to him or else he would harm the family residing in Vavuniya.
The young man refused to hand over the money and warned his family in Vavuniya about the threat made by his uncle, who is his mother’s younger brother. The uncle, however, was determined to carry out his plan; the abduction of his brother-in-law was planned with underworld operatives located in Vavuniya.
On Saturday last week the youngster’s father returned after a day’s work in the fields to find two strangers visiting his home. The pair informed him that they were from an NGO providing relief to people affected by the 30-year-old civil war that ended in 2009.
After some formalities were jotted down the pair left, promising Sriskandarajah senior a new irrigation pump and saying they would keep in touch at the very earliest.
A day later they telephoned the elder Sriskandarajah to turn up at a location in Vavuniya and take delivery of the irrigation pump since the donation had been approved by their NGO. The man went to the location along with a friend and was met by the two men who had arrived in a white van and wanted him to travel with them to the NGO office situated elsewhere.
The man agreed but not before instructing his friend to note the registration number of the vehicle – just in case. He was taken to a house at Delft Island and kept for a whole day while all the time the two men telephoned their handler in France, informing that the mission was complete and it was time for him to act.
The youngster’s uncle in France telephoned his sister in Vavuniya and told her that her husband had been abducted and that a Rs 10 million ransom demand had been made for his safe release. The woman informed the local police. In the meantime the kidnapped man managed to escape from the house on Delft island with the assistance of a fisherman and made his way home to Vavuniya, and called the police.
Since then two people including the white van owner have been arrested, and a hunt is on for the other two suspects.