Four arrested for kidnapping 20-year-old met online in Gurugram

Preliminary probe revealed that the accused had demanded a ransom of ₹37,000 from the victim’s family through a private calling app.

Gurugram:Four men were arrested on Sunday for kidnapping a 20-year-old man they had befriended on a dating app, police said. The incident took place at around 4.30am on Saturday when the victim had visited a Gurudwara in New Colony (Sector 07), said police officials.

Preliminary investigations revealed that their son was kidnapped at a roundabout along Dwarka Expressway in sector 09.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said crime branch units of Palam Vihar, and Rajendra Park police stations jointly conducted an operation to nab the accused from Kurukshetra district in Haryana. “Based on intelligence inputs and tip-off, the four accused were arrested and the victim was safely reunited with his family,” Turan said.

The accused were identified as Ajay, 21, Dinesh alias Deepu, 18, Aashish alias Golu, 18–all three residents of Pichopa Kalan village in Charkhi Dadri and Anil, 33, of Gadrai in Charkhi Dadri.

The victim’s father had submitted a written complaint at Rajendra Park police station on Saturday and preliminary investigations revealed that their son was kidnapped at a roundabout along Dwarka Expressway in sector 09. “An FIR was registered under section 127(6) (wrongful confinement) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the accused,” Turan said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had demanded a ransom of ₹37,000 from the victim’s family through a private calling app. Police traced ₹21,000 to a bank account belonging to Manpreet (single name), who had been kidnapped in another case by the same accused from Assandh in Karnal on Saturday. “He was rescued by the police team before being handed over to Thanesar Sadar police station in Kurukshetra,” said a senior police official.

During investigation, it emerged that the accused were allegedly involved in kidnapping youths in exchange for money to procure drugs. “They had befriended the victim ten days prior and was drugged inside a rented Scorpio car. Based on the victim’s statement recorded on Sunday, a case was registered under Section 140(2) (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder or ranson) of the BNS against the accused,” said Turan, adding that their car and eleven mobile phones were recovered.