Bengal Man Comes To Delhi To Buy Apples, Kidnapped By Friend For Ransom

Three persons were arrested in Delhi on Monday for allegedly kidnapping a 33-year-old businessman and extorting around Rs 3 lakh ransom from him, police said on Monday. According to police, the incident occurred last Wednesday when the victim, Babloo Yadav, a West Bengal-based businessman, arrived in Delhi from Siliguri's Bagdogra Airport.

Mr Yadav, who had come here to purchase apples from the wholesale market at Azadpur Mandi, was picked up from the airport in a taxi sent by his friend Ajay and dropped at Sector- 21 in Dwarka, police said.

After Mr Yadav reached Dwarka, Ajay took him to an isolated flat where one of his associates was already present. The next day, four more of his accomplices came to his flat and forcibly took him to an isolated dairy firm in Bahadurgarh by car, they added.

The accused threatened him with dire consequences and demanded money to set him free. They made Mr Yadav call his relatives and send them a total of Rs 2.7 lakh through different five UPI IDs, the police said.

After getting the ransom money, the accused dropped him near Bahadurgarh City Metro Station and warned him not to complain to police about the incident, they added.

On Friday, Mr Yadav registered a complaint against the five accused, including Ajay, at the Delhi Airport police station, DCP (IGI Airport) G Ram Gopal Naik said.

Based on the victim's complaint, an FIR was registered under sections 364 A (kidnapping for ransom) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, the DCP said.

Police launched an investigation and arrested three accused -- Praveen Kumar (27), Vikas (26), and Harphool Singh (33) -- on Monday, he added.

Efforts are underway to arrest Ajay and the fifth accused in the case, the DCP said.

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