Chennai police arrested three Sri Lankan nationals on Friday night on charges of abducting a 28-year-old fellow national and Tamil filmmaker for a ransom of Indian Rs one million, media reports said. Two more suspects are reported to be on the run.

According to the police, the victim, Nirojen, had come to Chennai in 2007 to pursue a college education, and later, began working as an assistant director in various Tamil films.

He then went on to make a short film that received much acclaim and a cash award from a firm in London. Nirojen was in the process of directing and acting in his next project, a commercial film.

“On Deepavali day, Nirojen’s friend and roommate, Jagan (25), took him to a lodge in Majestic Colony, Valsaravakkam, under the guise of meeting the latter’s grandmother. There, four men, including Ravindran (47), the owner of the lodge, bundled Nirojen into a room and assaulted him. They demanded Rs. 10 lakh for his release,” an investigating officer told media.

The suspects snatched Nirojen’s ATM card and withdrew Rs. 30,000 from his account after forcing him to reveal the PIN. After two days of detention, Nirojen has been released on Friday after he promised to arrange for the ransom amount in a few hours.

“Nirojen then lodged a complaint with the Valsaravakkam police and a police team apprehended Ravindran and his aide Dinesh (21), also a Sri Lankan. Nirojen’s roommate Jagan was also arrested,” the officer has said further.

The police team is reported to be on the lookout for two more suspects, identified as Siva and Jayendran, in connection with the case.