On December 3, P. Kishore Kumar, who runs a textile shop and a hardware store and is involved in multiple businesses, went for his routine night walk along Thalavadi–Thalamalai Road after closing his shop. He was speaking on the phone with his younger brother, Rakesh Kumar, a doctor at a private hospital in Coimbatore, when he suddenly screamed for help. The call got disconnected immediately, and subsequent attempts to reach him failed as his mobile phone was switched off.
Rakesh Kumar lodged a complaint with the Thalavadi police, who registered a case and launched a search operation. As police intensified the search, the kidnappers abandoned Kishore Kumar in the Kumbaragundi forest area near the Tamil Nadu–Karnataka border.
On Monday, acting on a tip-off, police intercepted a government bus travelling from Sathyamangalam to Kollegal near the Bannari check-post and detained two suspects. They were identified as Devaraj, 57, of Kolipalya in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, and Manjunathan, 30, of Chikkagajanur in Thalavadi.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to kidnapping Kishore Kumar with the intention of extorting money from his family. Police said efforts were under way to trace the other persons involved in the crime.
Published – December 16, 2025 05:40 pm IST
