COIMBATORE: A special court in Coimbatore on Tuesday sentenced former Pollachi forest range officer Sivakumar to 15 years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh for kidnap, illegal confinement and robbery.The court acquitted three accomplices of Sivakumar,40, due to insufficient evidence.The case dates to Oct 28, 2009. Gandhi, a Chennai-based real estate businessman, his driver and a friend were staying at a lodge in Pollachi when Sivakumar misused his official power to confront them. The forest official threatened them with false charges of illegally purchasing sand boas and sandalwood.Sivakumar and his associates kidnapped the trio in Gandhi’s car, detaining them at the Pollachi forest range office and later in a farmhouse in Kurichikottai. Under severe intimidation, the perpetrators robbed the victims of three mobile phones, Rs 2 lakh in cash and the car, amounting to a total property loss of Rs 9.70 lakh.Following a probe by the Pollachi west police, the court found the charges against Sivakumar proven beyond doubt. He received five years imprisonment for kidnap and 10 years for robbery, to be served cumulatively.
