2 Australian nationals among arrested; they wanted Rs 1 cr to enter international drug trade, say cops

Two foreign nationals and a Ropar-based youth working in Australia were arrested on Thursday for planning to abduct a city-based youth for a ransom of Rs 1 crore. The three were arrested from a parking lot of Topiary Park in Sector 35 in the evening. The arrested have been identified as Simon Ginty (30), Grant Alan Easton (44) and Gursher Singh (25). Together they were planning to abduct Harsh Sinha (23), a resident of Sector 40 and son of a retired general manager with ?Punsup?? Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation.

The police received a tip-off about the three meeting in Sector 35 and raided the area. The trio was found sitting in a white gypsy (number DL-3CA-2923) and immediately arrested. Illegal weapons were found from their possession. All the three accused were produced in a local court, which remanded them in police custody for three days.

Both Grant Alan Easton and Simon Ginty are redents of Brisbane in Australia.

The police said the three accused met in Australia and hatched the abduction plot. They engaged three persons for Rs 10 lakh for keeping the victim hostage until the ransom was paid. The accused had a plan to transfer the amount to their bank account in Australia, which they wanted to use as ?seed money? for investing in drug trade.

The planning

Sustained interrogation of the three revealed that they had become friends a year ago when they were working as security guards in Australia. They came to India in May this year and returned to Australia in the first week of July. During the two months they stayed in India, the three did a recce of Chandigarh and its periphery. They returned to Australia after hatching the abduction plot. The police said their plan was to transfer the ransom amount of Rs 1 crore to the bank account of Grant Alan Easton, which was recently opened on August 6.

Goons hired

The three reached India on August 15 via Malaysia, where they spent two days. On reaching India, Gursher called his cousin, Bhupinder Singh alias Bhupi, and asked him to arrange people who could abduct someone from Chandigarh. They set their target on Harsh, who had studied with Gursher abroad. It was decided that Gursher would meet Harsh and bring him near Mullanpur Barrier, Chandigarh, where he would then be abducted. Bhupi further discussed the matter with one Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi of Amritsar, and Gopi deputed Raju and Nihang to strike a deal with Gursher Singh and the two foreign nationals. On the direction of Gurpreet Singh, both Raju and Nihang came to Chandigarh and met the three accused at Sector 43 bus stand; and after being briefed about the plot, they demanded Rs 10 lakh as advance and returned, the police said.

The target

Harsh Sinha is an MBA aspirant. He and Gursher Singh had met in 2004-05 in Australia. Gursher had called him up and expressed his desire to meet him at a temple near Sector 40. When questioned, Harsh told the police that his brother, Utkarsh, and Gursher used to be classmates in Khalsa College, Chandigarh. ?He was known to my brother very well, I am shocked and was unaware of the entire conspiracy to kidnap me. Me and my brother knew Gursher well as we studied together. The foreigners were not known to me,? Harsh told Newsline.

Recoveries

The police frisked the accused and recovered two knives (kamanidar) from the two foreign nationals. Besides, 20 gram marijuana was also recovered from Simon. Three air-pistols were also recovered from the dashboard of the Gypsy, which were confiscated immediately. The three were arrested and a case under sections 364A, 511 and 120 B of Indian Penal Code; Section 20 of NDPS Act; and sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act, was registered in the Sector-36 police station.

DSP (Crime Branch) Satbir Singh said the three persons hired for the abduction are yet to be arrested and the Punjab Police have been intimated about it.