Delhi Police claimed to have busted a gang whose women used to contact people in South India through Facebook and lure them to Delhi where their fake journalist associates extorted money from them on the pretext of implicating them in a case of flesh trade.
The accused, identified as Aditya Sharma (26), Kulwinder Singh (22), Kulwinder’s cousin Sanjeev (28) along with a 45-year-old and a 30-year-old woman, have been arrested by the staff of Central district police.
The gang came under police scanner after Station House Officer (SHO) Karol Bagh Mahesh Kumar got a call on Sunday from Kerala when he was informed that Pradeesh (33), a resident of Ernakulam, Kerala, who had come to Delhi on Saturday for an interview and was staying in a hotel had been kidnapped and the kidnappers were asking for `2.5 lakh as ransom for his safe release.
“We registered a case and took up investigation. During probe it came to light that he had reached Delhi through Mangla Express on Saturday at 3 pm. later he informed his family members on phone that he had been kidnapped by some people and `2.5 lakh are being demanded as ransom for his release. A team under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Abhishek Dhania was formed to crack the case,” said DCP (Central) Paramaditya.
All hotels in the area were checked and it came to fore that the victim was staying in First Hotel. Meanwhile, a trap was laid for the kidnappers through the father of the victim on the pretext of delivering money to them in Meera Bagh area on Outer Ring Road.
Aditya Sharma and Kulwinder Singh were apprehended from the spot by the police team while the victim Pradeesh was also safely rescued. “On sustained interrogation, the duo disclosed that one Sanjeev, who is a cousin of Kulwinder Singh, and three women are also involved in this crime. Sanjeev and the two women were also traced and interrogated,” he said.