Kidnapping for ransom: Congress councilor rescued from Ghaziabad, hunt on to nab culprits

A 39-year-old councillor from Rudrapur in Uttarakhand was rescued from Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar Extension late Saturday night, three days after he was kidnapped by

A 39-year-old councillor from Rudrapur in Uttarakhand was rescued from Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar Extension late Saturday night, three days after he was kidnapped by a carjacking gang in a stolen Baleno car and taken to western Uttar Pradesh.

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Officials of the Rudrapur and the Ghaziabad police were both involved in rescuing Congress councilor Amit Mishra.

According to the police, Mishra was cornered by a group of men near his house around 6.45pm on January 15 and whisked away in a blue-coloured car the gang had stolen in Bareilly in December last year.

“The victim was kidnapped when he had gone to collect rent from the shops he owns near his house. Initially, received some injuries but later the gang did not harm him,” circle officer (Rudrapur) Amit Kumar said.

“The gang, with Mishra, crossed Moradabad and later the Dasna toll in Ghaziabad. Midway to Ghaziabad, the gang snatched someone’s cellphone and used Mishra’s family to ask for ransom. They initially demanded ₹20 lakh for his release, but later increased the amount to ₹50 lakh before agreeing to settle for ₹20 lakh. It is suspected they kept him at a secret location and kept him sedated by feeding him spiked food,” he said.

“In multiple calls made to victim’s family, the kidnappers asked for the ransom to be delivered at different locations on January 18. Ghaziabad police sent several teams to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Loni and other adjoining areas near NH-9. However, they did not turn up,” Ghaziabad superintendent of police (rural) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun said.

Late Saturday, Mishra was let go by the gang near a petrol pump in Raj Nagar Extension after which the police arrived and picked him up. Mishra was later handed over to the Uttarakhand police and taken home.

Police sources said the Blue Baleno, used for the crime, was carjacked from Bareilly. It was used to rob a petrol pump in Rudrapur and loot a gun on January 7, the police said.

“The same Baleno car was used with different registration number plates and taken to Mathura-Agra where the gang struck multiple locations, before kidnapping Mishra on January 15 in Rudrapur,” a Ghaziabad police source said.

The Uttarakhand police officials said they are investigating the case and are likely to nab the gang involved.