Kullu: Three persons were arrested for demanding Rs 4 lacs ransom from Kullu Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU), police said on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Sateesh Kumar (25), resident of Shaleen village in Manali Tehsil, his father Kheem Ram (46) and Susheel Sharma (60), resident of Kalath village in Manali Tehsil.
According to police, on March 29, Sateesh Kumar contacted SIU of Kullu police and said that he knows a person who is a supplier of heroin. However, on May 30, Sateesh fled after stealing Rs 50,000 and a mobile phone from the SIU.
After this, police came to know that Sateesh Kumar himself is a heroin addict.
Taking immediate action, police contacted Sateesh’s father Kheem Ram and told him to provide information about his son. However, Kheem Ram along with Sateesh Kumar filed a petition against the SIU in the High Court and started to demand Rs 5 lacs as ransom money from the team in order to take back the petition.
The deal was later finalised for Rs 4 lacs and it was decided that SIU team will hand over the money to them near Kapil Muni temple in Kalath.
On Friday, a team lead by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sagar Chand arrested all the three accused from Kalath.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Kullu Gurdev Sharma confirmed the report and said further investigation is going on. He said that a case under section 384 (punishment for extortion), 182 (false information), 209 (false claim) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the accused.
He further said that the accused will be presented on the court today.
