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Strange Abduction Raises Questions

Rumors continue to swirl about Long Island Republican Karan 'Bobby' Kumar's weekend disappearance and subsequent reappearance in a park on Tuesday, but police and the FBI are taking pains to state that they are dealing with it as a kidnapping---for now.

"Anytime you investigate a kidnapping, you have to come at it from a lot of different angles," said an officer with the Nassau County Police.

"We're looking at everything, and at the moment we are treating it as a kidnapping," he continued. "But anything is possible."

Police admitted that they are investigating a possible link between Kumar's abduction and the mysterious newspaper, India In US , which published many unsavoury and unsubstantiated allegations about Kumar and some of his friends two weeks ago.

Friends of Kumar say that he was upset by the newspaper, which was mailed out to select members of New York's Indian community, and that Kumar was considering legal action against its publishers, whom he said he knew.

Kumar, 44, is believed to have told friends that there were two men, both journalists, who were trying to ruin his reputation.

Pete Matuza, Nassau County Police Deputy Inspector, did not name the men but confirmed that they were "certainly one of the pieces," being examined in their investigation.

The newspaper, which claims to have offices in Ahmedabad, India, appeared to have a phony masthead, and attempts to verify its existence were unsuccessful.

Describing itself as the "Boldest News Magazine," the publication's second issue is a crude mix of bad grammar and spelling, some news about Pakistan, and a feature on false vegetarian food. Articles allege without evidence that Kumar and his "thugs" engaged in extortion, influence peddling and preyed upon young women.

A telling clue in the paper are the New York and New Jersey datelines for many of the stories. Specifically, the New Jersey town of Woodbridge, where there is a high concentration of South Asians, and is a base of support for Kumar's allies, both Democrat and Republican.

While no one has confirmed the paper's origin, authorities are reportedly looking at printing presses in Queens.

Meanwhile, Kumar is facing questions from some members of New York's South Asian community, who are sceptical of his explanation of the incident.

Kumar told the police that he had gone to the Nostalgia Diner in Syosset, NY, on the night of July 8 to meet with a business associate. As he left the diner, he said, a van pulled up and three individuals forced him inside, threatening to kill him if he didn't.

They put a hood over his head, and drove him to an unknown location, where they kept him inside a small room, he said. They never spoke to him, harmed him, or told him why they had kidnapped him.

His abductors, of which only one could Kumar describe as "black," took some of his money and then left him in Valley Stream State Park. Kumar then called his wife Roisin and told her where he was.

Peter Kothari, a New Jersey-based travel agent and community leader, wanted to know why Kumar couldn't give more details about his abduction.

"This was not a simple kidnapping, things are very unclear," Kothari said.

"If it did happen, then it was a bad thing, and authorities should find and prosecute the culprits," he said. "But if it didn't ... people shouldn't use such serious crimes to bring attention to themselves. It is very bad thing for the whole community."

Some details about the incident haven't been released, police say, because they would jeopardize their chance for convictions.

But detectives were puzzled about certain details, like why Kumar couldn't provide more descriptions of his abductors, why they only took his money, and not his SUV, or why his SUV was parked at another diner near by the Nostalgia Diner.

The lack of witnesses has made things difficult, investigators said. They are asking people to come forward who might have seen a van by the diner when Kumar was abducted, or in the park on the night Kumar was released.

Kumar did not return phone calls. His electronic voice mail box at his company, Kumar Enterprises, was full.

A lead that police also considered was the similarity of Kumar's abduction to the kidnapping of jeweler Hemant Zaveri (of the Tribhovandas Zaveri chain) when he was operating in New York a few years ago.

Zaveri was reported missing for several days, before he suddenly reappeared. He had said at the time that he had been kidnapped, but could not provide any clues as to who took him. It was alleged to be over money owed, but the case was never solved, and Zaveri left for India.

Matuza said the incident was looked at, but investigators decided that the two abductions are not connected.

At this point in the investigation, Matuza said authorities are not taking an "in depth" look into Kumar's past, nor considering any of his friends or family as suspects.

Kumar, a father of five, came to the United States in the early 1980s and started as a busboy in Manhattan. With little education, he was able to find success in real estate and manufacturing. He also dabbled in publishing, establishing a South Asian phone directory and two newspapers for a short while.

Politics is another area that Kumar showed a knack for. He is known for his fundraising skills, and that has won him the friendship of high profile politicians. He has reportedly raised more than $3 million for Republican candidates.

In turn, he has benefited from knowing them: New York Governor George Pataki appointed him to the Stony Brook Council, an advisory board to the university, and Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta appointed him chair of the Nassau University Medical Center board.

Some community members have questioned those appointments, sometimes openly. In 1995, Kumar got a $1.8 million no-bid emergency contract to supply New York with fire-retardant coating for paint in city housing stairwells. The coatings didn't entirely work, and Kumar was accused of getting the contract because of his connections to Rudy Giuliani, whom he campaigned for in 1993. An investigation later cleared him of all charges.

Earlier Story:
Missing Politician Returns Safe

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