Lucknow:
A businessman and his friend were arrested by the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh police on charges of staging his own abduction from Agra, officials said here today.
Mohit Lohia, a businessman at Mahamaya Nagar, and his friend Raju Cheepa were arrested by the STF from collectorate crossing in Agra yesterday, they said.
On December 4, Mohit along with his driver Devendra left for Mathura. Before reaching Mathura, Mohit asked his driver to bring water, but when Devendra returned he found the former and the car missing from the spot, they said.
Later Mohit's mother Madhu and wife Rashi received calls from an unidentified person, who demanded Rs 1 crore as ransom.
During investigation by the STF it was revealed that Mohit himself staged his abduction and was hiding in Jaipur with his friend Raju.
Acting on the tip off, the STF team reached Jaipur, but came to know that Mohit and Raju have left for Agra, where they were finally arrested yesterday.
During interrogation, Mohit told the police that he had a debt of Rs 27 lakh and was facing problems in repayment due to which he planned his own abduction.
Police said that with the assistance of his friends Anuj, Sanjay, Rohit, Raju and Pramod and Rajveer, Mohit planned his own abduction.
Pramod, Rajveer, Raju and Mohit first went to Delhi, then to Meerut and Muzaffarnagar and finally to Jaipur, they said.