6 days Ago By Junaid Dar
The dramatic unravelling of the criminal network began with the arrest of four people, including former councilor Sarthak Chaudhary, on Saturday evening in Bijnor. New Delhi: A brazen Bollywood kidnapping ring targeting actors has been dismantled following the arrests of one of the five accused, including former councillor Sarthak Chaudhary, in Meerut and Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. The arrests have uncovered a shocking plot that extended beyond the already shocking kidnappings of comedian Sunil Pal and actor Mohammed Mushtaq Khan, the gang had also planned to abduct veteran actor Shakti Kapoor.
The dramatic unravelling of the criminal network began with the arrest of four people, including former councillor Sarthak Chaudhary, on Saturday evening in Bijnor. During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the kidnapping of Mushtaq Khan and revealed their audacious plans to also target Shakti Kapoor. According to Bijnor SP Abhishek Jha, the gang admitted to kidnapping approximately ten lesser-known Bollywood actors, with only Mushtaq Khan managing to escape without paying a ransom.
“The arrested persons also claimed that till date, they had kidnapped around ten relatively lesser-known Bollywood actors. They also claimed that all their victims had paid ransom except Mushtaq, who fled from captivity on the morning of November 21,” said Abhishek Jha, SP, Bijnor. Mushtaq Khan’s ordeal began on November 20th, when he was lured to Meerut under the guise of an event.
His event manager, Shivam Yadav, filed a complaint on December 9th, detailing how the actor was kidnapped after arriving at Delhi airport, then forced into a vehicle and held captive at the home of a key suspect, Lavi alias Rahul Saini. During his captivity, the kidnappers obtained his bank account details and withdrew ₹2.2 lakh.
Khan’s cunning escape on the morning of November 21st involved fleeing to a local mosque where he sought help. “During his captivity, the kidnappers took Mushtaq Khan’s bank account details and password. On the night of November 20, the accused consumed alcohol and slept.
The following morning, Mushtaq Khan managed to escape and reached a mosque in Mohalla Chahshiri, where locals contacted his family and helped him return home. On November 21, the kidnappers withdrew Rs 2.2 lakh from Mushtaq Khan’s bank account while shopping in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar,” the officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The investigation also revealed the modus operandi of the gang: they would lure their victims with advance payments and air tickets for purported events, only to abduct them upon arrival. Shakti Kapoor was also targeted with a Rs 5 lakh offer, but the deal fell through due to disagreements over the advance payment. The police recovered Rs 1.
04 lakh from the arrested gang members, comprised of Sarthak Chaudhary, Sabiuddin, Azim, and Shashank. Adding to the drama, Arjun Karnwal, one of the accused involved in the Sunil Pal kidnapping, was shot in the leg by police in Meerut on Sunday after attempting to escape from custody and opening fire. He has been admitted to the hospital under police supervision.
Click for more latest Crime news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Junaid Dar is a multimedia journalist based in Delhi, currently working as the Chief Reporter for News9 Live.
He has been at the heart of India’s most pivotal moments. From the intense 2022 UP Assembly elections to the 2024 Assembly elections in Kashmir, and the high-stakes 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Junaid has been on the ground and brought fresh perspectives to his readers.His work goes beyond politics.
He has a special knack for telling human stories—whether it’s his Indepth coverage of the farmers' protests, where he focused on the lives and struggles of the protesters, or his courageous reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he risked his own safety to capture the full scope of the crisis. His reporting has appeared in leading national and international outlets, including Voice of America, Daily Vox, Huffington Post, TRT World, Article 14, and India Ahead, among others..
