4 in net for kidnapping, extorting ₹50L ransom

Senior police officers aware of the matter identified the teenager as Kinshuk Aggarwal, whose father Vikas Aggarwal, runs a banquet hall at GT Karnal Road in northwest Delhi.

Eight days after the 18-year-old son of a banquet hall owner from northwest Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh was abducted from outside Ghazipur flower market on gunpoint, and later released after the kidnapper collected ₹50 lakh ransom from his father, the Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have cracked the case after arresting four persons, including an employee of the businessman, her mother and boyfriend.

The suspects (faces covered) in police custody. (Sourced)

Senior police officers aware of the matter identified the teenager as Kinshuk Aggarwal, whose father Vikas Aggarwal, runs a banquet hall at GT Karnal Road in northwest Delhi. The family lives in Shalimar Bagh area. Kinshuk helps his father in running the business, the officers said.

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Priyanka Kashyap said Vikas Aggarwal approached the Patparganj Industrial Area police station on December 18, and informed the police that his son, Kinshuk, was kidnapped a day earlier, and that he had to pay ₹50 lakh as ransom for his release.

The police met Kinshuk to record his statement. According to investigators, Kinshuk said he had gone to Ghazipur flowers wholesale market on December 17 with Richa Sabharwal, 32, a flower decorator who works at his father’s banquet hall, and driver Jitender, the DCP said.

Around 7.30am, they were sitting inside the car when a man wearing black hooded jacket, cap and mask forcibly entered the car and held all three occupants on gunpoint. The unidentified man threatened to kill them if they raised any alarm. He asked the driver to move towards Ashok Vihar, she said.

“On the way, the kidnapper took Kinshuk’s phone and called his father, demanding ₹1 crore for his son’s safe release. But after negotiation, he agreed to release everyone after collecting ₹50 lakh. Within an hour, the businessman met the kidnapper in Ashok Vihar with the money. The kidnapper released Kinshuk, Sabarwal, and the driver, and asked the businessman to take the wheel. The kidnapper took them to Paschim Vihar, where he got down and threatened Vikas Aggarwal to arrange the remaining ₹50 lakh,” said the DCP.

How cops identified, caught suspects

A case of kidnapping for ransom was registered on the businessman’s complaint, and two teams were formed to investigate the case. The teams scanned nearly 150 CCTV cameras on the car’s route between Ghazipur and Paschim Vihar, covering nearly 70 kilometres.