In a joint operation of Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police and Gautam Budh Nagar Police, four people, involved in the abduction of two students of BBA final year of the Amity University, have been arrested. Among the arrested criminals, one is State-level athlete and an engineer working in leading phone manufacturing company in Rajasthan. The police have also recovered Rs80 lakh which were paid as ransom to the abductors. On April 3, two students were abducted by them from the university gate.
While briefing about the arrest of the culprits, Additional Director General (ADG) law and Order of UP Police Arun Kumar on Thursday said that the family members of the kidnapped students had paid Rs85 lakh ransom money and the youths returned on May 1. “After tracing the number given by the abductors to the family for negotiation, the investigation team intercepted the conversation of the accused kidnappers Yashveer, Vivek, Somveer and Shobit and managed to nab them all from Greater Noida. Police have also recovered one Xylo car, one Alto car, two pistols and other looted articles from their procession,” he said.
On Tuesday evening, when the victims were approaching towards the gate no 5 from gate no 3 of Amity University in their car, four abductors approached them posing as policemen and asked for the driving licence and papers of the car. “When the victims came out of the vehicle, they were forced to sit in a Santro car at gunpoint, in which they travelling and then took them to Jaibhim Nagar in Meerut. later, a ransom call was made to the families. They had demanded Rs1.5 crore,” he said adding that both boys were released after the families paid Rs85 lakh to the kidnappers.
Arrested kidnappers Yashveer and Somveer, residents of Meerut, are siblings. Yashveer is a physical instructor while Somveer is a gold medalist athlete at State-level and runs poultry business in Jaibhim Nagar. Third accused Vivek Tyagi, a resident of Meerut also, is an engineer and works as a senior engineer with Nokia Company in Rajasthan. Fourth arrested person Shobit is a resident of Sector 20 in Noida and his father runs transport business in the region. They are aged between 24 to 28 years and are closed friends to each other.
Senior police official said, the kidnappers were running a gang which was conducting loot and kidnapping by using police’s uniform.