Firozabad is once again rocked by a sensational kidnapping after a leading glass merchant Sanjeev Gupta was abducted for a ransom of Rs 100 crore on Saturday, police said on Monday.
The merchant’s car was found abandoned near Toll Plaza on Bulundsahar Road under Ghabounwa locality of Aligarh police station.
Reports said Gupta took lunch in Sagar Resturant in Tundla locality of Firozabad on Saturday and left for his residence at Archit Green Plaza in Katool area of Tundla.
However, he went missing on the way, said sources. The family members received two ransom SMSs from Gupta’s mobile, demanding money for safe return of the merchant.
Subsequently, on Sunday morning, Gupta’s kin Vikalp Gupta reported the matter to police, naming three people as suspect. Following which the Uttar Pradesh Police have formed four teams of the Special Task Force to crack the case.
On Sunday night, kidnapper sent another SMS and Whatsapp message from Sanjeev’s mobile asking the family members to reach Agra with the money they have arranged so far. The kidnappers also warned that if they informed the police, Sanjeev’s life would be at risk.
ADG (law and order) Anand Kumar claimed they have asked the sleuths of the Special Task Force (STF) to help the local police in tracing the kidnappers. SSP Ferozabad Ajay Kumar claimed that the family members also lodged a report naming Geeta Pandey, her husband Pradeep Pandey and one Ankit Gupta, all natives of Suhagnagar area of Dakshin police station in Firozabad. Kumar confirmed recovery of Sanjeev’s car (UP83AC-4100) from near Toll Plaza on Bulundsahar Road.
In May last, another leading glass merchant of the State, Sanjay Mittal, owner of three biggest glass factories in the State, was kidnapped from National highway in Nagla locality under Dakshin police station of Firozabad. luckily, the cops had traced the location of the kidnappers and managed to rescue the victim.
Meanwhile, owner of automobile spare shops in loni area of Ghaziabad was kidnapped and later found lying in critically burnt state in Bagpat district late on Sunday night. The local police, who shifted the victim to hospital later on, identify him as Chunki Singh Jatav (24), a resident of Shiv Vihar, Karawal Nagar in Ghaziabad. Circumstantial evidence suggested that the accused left the victim thinking that he was “dead’. The victim was rushed to district hospital in Bagpat from where he was referred to New Delhi.
Chunki’s father Veer Singh Jatav reportedly registered a case in this regard against Ilyas and Waseem, who own auto-spares shop in the same area. The cops picked up both the accused and grilled them. They were also waiting for the victim to regain consciousness. Veer Singh alleged that on Sunday afternoon, both the accused called his son and had a liquor party. later when his son was drunk, they took him to Bagpat, where they sprinkled petrol over his son and set him ablaze. He claimed that after his son fell unconscious, they took him Rs dead’ and left the body. luckily his son was found alive by some passers-by who informed the police, he added.