Visakhapatnam police rescued retired Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer P. Anand Kumar, a former audit commissioner in the GST department, after he was allegedly kidnapped while travelling to the airport on Friday evening, October 16, 2026. The incident occurred in the IT Special Economic Zone (IT SEZ) area under the limits of PM Palem police station.

 

According to police, the suspects intercepted his car, forcibly moved him into another vehicle and took him to a guest house in Visalakshinagar on the outskirts of the city. Investigators used CCTV footage and mobile-phone location data to trace the officer. He was found confined to a room and rescued unharmed.

 

Preliminary investigations indicate that the alleged kidnapping stemmed from a financial dispute. Police said money had reportedly been given to the officer’s wife in connection with an attempted transfer of a GST employee. When the transfer did not materialise and the money was allegedly not returned, the dispute escalated. The suspects allegedly abducted Anand Kumar to pressure his wife into making a payment and threatened to kill him if she did not comply. These details are based on the preliminary police investigation and allegations reported by the media.

 

Police arrested 10 of the 11 suspected individuals and produced them before a court, which remanded them to custody. A search was launched for the remaining suspect. Further investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances of the alleged financial dealings and kidnapping.