4 min readRanchiUpdated: Jan 30, 2026 02:54 PM IST
Three suspects allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Jamshedpur-based industrialist Devang Gandhi’s son were injured in an encounter late Thursday night, police said on Friday.
Kairav Gandhi, son of prominent Jamshedpur industrialist Devang Gandhi, was abducted on January 13, triggering widespread concern across political, business and social circles in the city. According to Jamshedpur SSP Piyush Pandey, between 2.30 am and 3 am on Friday, the arrested suspects were being taken to a crime scene to recover the weapons used in the abduction when they attempted to escape, snatching a gun from a policeman accompanying them.
The injured accused have been identified as Guddu, Imran and Ramiz. The incident occurred near a temple in the Bistupur police station area.
“In self-defence and to prevent their escape, the police team fired in retaliation. The accused sustained gunshot injuries to their legs,” the SSP said, adding that the three are undergoing treatment at MGM Hospital and are out of danger. No police personnel were injured, though the firing was directed at the Bistupur police station officer-in-charge, who escaped unhurt.
The SSP said more than three arrests have been made so far in the case, though the exact number will be disclosed later through a formal briefing or official communication. Pandey said the three injured accused were among those who had knowledge of the firearms used during the kidnapping.
According to the SSP, it was revealed during interrogation that the weapons had been stashed in bushes behind the temple to evade police checks.
“When they kidnapped Kairav Gandhi, they forced him into the vehicle at gunpoint. Anticipating police checks and toll barriers, they hid the weapons nearby and moved ahead. Based on their inputs, the police team took them for recovery when the firing incident occurred,” the SSP said.
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Within hours of the complaint about Kairav Gandhi’s abduction, police recovered his car from bushes near Silver Sand Resort in the Kanderbera area of neighbouring Seraikela-Kharsawan district. The car was found abandoned, with the keys located beneath the mat, while the victim was missing.
Technical surveillance allegedly revealed that Kairav’s last mobile phone location was traced to Adarsh Nagar under Sonari police station limits, after which the phone was switched off. Police teams scanned CCTV footage from the area and checked cameras along possible routes.
According to police sources, the kidnappers moved Kairav from Kanderbera through Chandil into Bihar, where he was initially taken to Nawada and kept there for some days. He was later shifted to Gaya district and kept at various locations.
Multiple police teams have since been conducting raids across Bihar, including Gaya, Nalanda and Nawada districts.
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After 14 days in captivity, Kairav Gandhi was rescued safely by police in the early hours of January 27 from the Hazaribagh–Bihar border area and handed over to his family. No public statement was issued by the family or police immediately after the recovery.
Two days before the rescue, Director General of Police (DGP) Tadasha Mishra had visited Jamshedpur and reviewed the investigation. Police officials had described the visit as routine at the time.
Police sources said the investigation is ongoing and all aspects of the kidnapping, including the victim’s movement, arms procurement and the wider network involved, are being examined. “Possibly more arrests could be done in future,” Pandey said.
When contacted, Devang Gandhi declined to comment on the case for now.
