By IANS,
New Delhi: Two men who abducted a businessman last month were arrested here Monday with a substantial chunk of Rs.20 million ransom they took from the victim’s family to free him.
Gaurav Chouhan, 27, and Sahi Ram, 24, were taken into custody for the July 27 kidnapping of an Old Delhi businessman who deals in copper wires. The police recovered Rs.13.8 million from them.
After the abduction, Chouhan called the businessman’s father and asked him to pay Rs.20 million for his son’s release.
The police registered a case following the ransom calls.
Before the police could act, the father paid the money to the kidnappers on the Meerut-Ghaziabad road July 29. The victim was released a day later.
“The victim’s father kept us in the dark. He did not tell us he was going to pay the ransom. But our men knew and followed him from a distance. Our priority was the safe release of the businessman,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Karnal Singh.
He said the kidnappers used the victim’s mobile telephone to make the ransom calls, thus making the police job more difficult.
“We found that Chouhan used to supply copper wires to the victim and was aware of the family’s financial condition. Initially he denied his involvement but confessed when he was confronted with the evidence we had gathered,” Singh said.
Chouhan told the police that he knew that the businessman had sold a plot of land in Gurgaon for a huge amount. So he hatched a plan to kidnap him with the help of Sahi Ram, his electrician friend.
About a month back, Chouhan arranged a 9 mm pistol and a home-made pistol from a criminal in western Uttar Pradesh.
Chouhan and Sahi Ram conducted a reccee for 15 days on the victim’s activities.
They found that the man drove from Chandni Chowk at about 7.30 p.m. daily and picked up his father near the Old Lajpat Rai Market.
On July 27, they followed the victim and entered his car.
“They directed the victim to drive on at gun point. They stopped near the GPO (General Post Office) and blindfolded him. Chouhan then drove the car to his factory in Matiala area of west Delhi and made the ransom call to the victim’s father,” Singh said.
“The victim was made to sleep in the car that night. The next day they took him to a flat in Bakkarwala. He was there till his release.”
Chouhan took along a friend to take the ransom money. He paid Rs.100,000 to Sahi Ram.
A Delhi University graduate, Chouhan runs a copper factory in Matiala area of Uttam Nagar.
“He has many girl friends and spends a lot of money on them. To sustain his lavish lifestyle, he needed quick money and lots of money,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Sagar Preet Hooda.