Four members of the gang have been arrested Abduction of actor Mushtaq Mohammad Khan Officials said that they took him hostage from Delhi airport to Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh and demanded ransom.
According to the police, the kidnappers had planned to abduct veteran actor Shakti Kapoor on the pretext of inviting them to the event.
Bijnor Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha, sharing details on Saturday, said that Mushtaq Khan’s program manager Shivam Yadav had filed the complaint on December 9.
According to the complaint, Lovi alias Rahul Saini had sent an advance payment of Rs 25,000 and an air ticket to invite Khan to an event in Meerut on October 15. After arriving at the Delhi airport on November 20, Mushtaq was greeted by a cab driver who took him to the famous ‘Shikanji’ shop between Meerut and Delhi.
There, Khan was forced into another vehicle, where he was joined by several people. The actor was then threatened and informed that he had been abducted and held hostage at the house of Lavi, a criminal involved in the incident, police said.
“On his bond, the kidnappers took Mushtaq Khan’s bank account details and password. On the night of November 20, the accused slept after drinking alcohol. The next morning, Mushtaq Khan managed to escape and reached a mosque in Mohalla Chahsiri, where locals contacted his family and helped him return home.
“On November 21, the kidnappers withdrew Rs 2.2 lakh from Mushtaq Khan’s bank account while shopping in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar,” the official said.
The gang members Sarthak Chaudhary, Sabiuddin, Azim and Shashank were arrested. The police also recovered Rs 140,000 from them.
The police revealed that the gang used to kidnap the filmmakers by sending advance payment and air tickets in the name of invitation to the event.
The investigation also revealed that actor Shakti Kapoor was offered Rs 5 lakh to participate in a similar event, but the deal fell through due to high advance requests.
The police is investigating whether the gang is also involved in the kidnapping of other film stars.
Efforts are being made to search for the remaining members of the gang along with Lavi.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Arjun, one of the kidnappers involved in the abduction of comedian Sunil Pal, was shot and injured in an encounter with the police in Meerut on Sunday.
Arjun, who was arrested on Saturday, snatched the pistol of a sub-inspector and tried to escape while he was being taken to Lalkurti police station for a medical check-up, Meerut police said.
While trying to escape, Arjun fired indiscriminately at the police team. When the police team retaliated, Arjun was injured by a bullet.
Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bipin Tada said the police recovered an SUV, a Scorpio, used in Sunil Pal’s abduction last month, along with Rs 2.25 lakh in cash and a mobile phone used in the crime from Arjun.
Arjun was immediately taken to the hospital in an injured state. As the gang involved in the kidnapping is based in Bijnor, the police are now looking for their accomplices. The officials have also contacted the victim for further statement and are continuing to investigate the incident,” the SSP said.
Why should you buy our membership?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be confused and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package