Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 8 -- A Malayali expatriate businessman, who was kidnapped at gunpoint by a four-member gang near Shoranur in Kerala's Palakkad district, was traced to an isolated house and rescued with the help of police on Sunday, officials said.

A senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, pointed to business rivalry as a motive for the kidnapping.

VP Mohammed Ali, who has business interests in Kerala and the Gulf region including educational institutions, was on his way from his residence in Wandoor in Malappuram district to the Cochin International Airport on Saturday evening when he was waylaid by a gang of men and kidnapped from his Toyota Vellfire car around 6 pm.

"The four-member gang, travelling in a Toyota Inn...