Police Inspector Bhanupratap Barge of Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) said that 10 persons were involved in the kidnapping. Eight of them came to Tandale’s shop at around 5 pm, when was busy dealing with his customers, and abducted him at knifepoint in an autorickshaw. Two more joined the gang in the room Tandale was held.

“Tandale was forced to call his family and tell them to make arrangements for Rs 1 lakh,” said Barge.

“Four of the abductors went to Yerawada jail for meeting an accused on Saturday morning. Tandale escaped during this time and reached a chowk from where he got a lift in a jeep. He went to the Wakad police chowki from where he was taken to the Sahakarnagar police station for lodging a complaint. Later he was taken to the Sassoon Hospital for medical examinantion and treatment.

Three of the gangsters followed Tandale to the hospital from where they planned to kidnapp him again, according to the police. They were trapped by a team of AEC comprising Police Inspector Barge, Assistant Inspector Raghunath Phuge, Police Naik Vilas Gujar, constables Sachin Dhawale, Ganesh Mali and Pandurang Wanjale.