Ludhiana: Man concocts abduction story to extort ₹10 lakh from in-laws, held
Police said the accused, who works as a sales manager at an insurance company, needed the money to repay some loans he had taken out and made multiple calls to his family members, claiming he had been abducted and asking them to arrange the money
The police on Thursday arrested a man for allegedly concocting an abduction story to extort ₹10 lakh from his in-laws and brother, said officials.
Police said the accused, who works as a sales manager at an insurance company, needed the money to repay some loans he had taken out and made multiple calls to his family members, claiming he had been abducted and asking them to arrange the money.
Police traced the accused, Shubham Upadhyaye, 35, a resident of New Delhi, to Pipli in Haryana. Police said he confessed to the crime during questioning.
Officials said the accused’s wife and their two-year-old daughter had shifted to the woman’s maternal home in Ludhiana following a dispute.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP city) Rupinder Singh said Upadhyaye had come to Ludhiana to see his wife on April 13 and returned the same day. On April 14, he called his brother, who lives in New Delhi, and wife, claiming he had been abducted and the abductors were demanding ₹10 lakh as ransom to release him.
“Upadhyaye’s kin alerted the police. The Moti Nagar police registered a case against unidentified accused under sections 127 (6) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and initiated an investigation,” the DCP said.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP city 4) Mandeep Singh said frequent calls from Upadhyaye from his own phone aroused police’s suspicion, which ultimately led to his arrest.
“The accused told police that he was unable to pay his loans. He had borrowed money from his friends as well and they were forcing him to return the funds. He hatched a plan to extort money from his brother and in-laws to clear the loans and made the ransom calls,” said the ADCP.
“The accused told police that he stayed in cheap hotels in Haryana and continued to change locations. The police have added sections 308 (2) and 62 of the BNS to the FIR,” he added.
