Palanpur: A 19-year-old youth was kidnapped in broad daylight in a dramatic case of mistaken identity, only to be stabbed and dumped on the roadside after his abductors realised they had targeted the wrong person.Ashwin Thakor, a resident of Ratanpura village in Kankrej taluka, was travelling from Shihori to Patan with his cousin in a car around 1.30 pm on April 12. As their vehicle moved along the highway between Vayad and Melusan villages under Saraswati police station limits, another car suddenly overtook them and forced them to stop.Two men, their faces covered with handkerchiefs, stepped out, brandished a knife and dragged Ashwin into their vehicle before speeding away, leaving his cousin behind.During the abduction, the kidnappers reportedly took Ashwin’s photograph and sent it to an associate, claiming their “target” was in custody. The reply came quickly — they had picked up the wrong man.But by the time the mistake dawned on them, Ashwin had already been assaulted and stabbed in the stomach. Realising the blunder, the attackers abandoned the injured teenager on the roadside near Dudharamapura and fled.Ashwin was later rushed to Dharpur Civil Hospital for treatment.Although the victim and his family declined to lodge a complaint, Saraswati police registered a case of kidnapping and assault against two unidentified men, treating the incident as a cognisable offence and launching a probe.
