Kolkata, May 19 : Two employees of a businessman from Gujarat were allegedly robbed by a gang on the pretext of carrying out a business transaction. After looting Rs 42 lakh from them, the accused allegedly abducted the two employees and forced them into a car.

However, it is alleged that the two men were later taken to the Kona Expressway in Howrah district and thrown out of the car. After learning about the incident, the businessman from Gujarat arrived in Kolkata and lodged a formal complaint, the police said on Tuesday.

The alleged robbery took place in the Survey Park area of South Kolkata. The businessman lodged a complaint at the Survey Park police station, following which a case of robbery and kidnapping was registered. The police launched an investigation and are examining CCTV footage from the area to identify the accused.

The police said that the incident took place in the first week of this month. The businessman from Gandhinagar in Gujarat was allegedly contacted by some people from Kolkata over a business deal. The suspects introduced themselves as businessmen and discussed sending certain goods from Kolkata to Gujarat.

The Gujarati businessman was allegedly told that the goods would be dispatched immediately if he paid Rs 42 lakh to the accused. Following the agreement, the businessman from Gandhinagar sent the money to Kolkata through two of his employees. They were taken to a house in the New Santoshpur area of south Kolkata. On reaching there, the employees were allegedly asked to hand over the cash, while they, in turn, demanded delivery of the goods.

It is alleged that the two employees were then confined in a room in the same house. Around six armed men allegedly held them at gunpoint and snatched the bag containing Rs 42 lakh from the employees. The victims reportedly kept banging on the door in an attempt to escape. Later, the accused allegedly took them out at gunpoint on the pretext of dropping them at Howrah station. The accused took the victims in a vehicle and abandoned them on the Kona Expressway before fleeing the scene.

The victims managed to reach the Howrah railway station and returned to Gujarat, where they informed the businessman about the entire incident. On Monday, the businessman reached Kolkata and lodged a complaint at the Survey Park police station regarding the robbery and abduction of his employees.

The Police are now trying to identify the house in the Survey Park area where the victims were kept. Investigators are trying to trace the vehicle and identify the accused through the contact numbers used to communicate with the businessman. The CCTV footage from Kolkata and Howrah is also being examined, the police said.

/IANS