2 held for kidnapping Navi Mum builder, posing as Bishnoi gang members

The accused, Rohit Jangid, 28, a passport agent from Nalasopara, and Vansh Gupta, 22, an auto-rickshaw driver from Virar, were arrested on Monday after police traced them using their phone numbers

MUMBAI: A Navi Mumbai builder was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint and held hostage inside a car for more than eight hours by two men claiming to be members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who initially demanded ₹2 crore for his release but eventually settled for ₹10 lakh. The Pelhar police have arrested the two accused, who allegedly drove the builder around between Virar and Mira Road.

2 held for kidnapping Navi Mum builder, posing as Bishnoi gang members

The accused, Rohit Jangid, 28, a passport agent from Nalasopara, and Vansh Gupta, 22, an auto-rickshaw driver from Virar, were arrested on Monday after police traced them using their phone numbers.

According to police, the victim, Sanjeev Shah, 52, a Kharghar resident with several construction sites in Navi Mumbai, was lured to the Red Carpet hotel on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Virar on Friday evening.

Shah told police that he had met Jangid through an acquaintance in May. Jangid allegedly told him that he ran a trust and wanted to invest money in construction projects. On Friday, Jangid and Gupta allegedly called Shah to the hotel to discuss the proposed investment and collect cash.

Shah alleged that when he arrived, the two men forced him into a Creta at gunpoint. They allegedly told him that a ₹2-crore contract had been given to kill him and threatened to spare his life if he paid them ₹2 crore.

According to Shah, Gupta drove the car while Jangid pointed a gun at him and another man, Suraj, held him. The vehicle continued moving between Virar and Mira Road as Shah negotiated with his captors.

“I told them I did not have ₹2 crore and that they could kill me if they wanted,” Shah said. The accused then allegedly reduced the ransom demand first to ₹1 crore and later to ₹10 lakh after several hours of negotiations. Around 2am, Shah’s son arranged ₹10 lakh, following which the accused allegedly released him. Shah approached the Kharghar police the next day. The Navi Mumbai police registered an FIR and later transferred the case to Pelhar police.

“We had the phone numbers of the two accused. Using their phone numbers, we traced and arrested them on Monday. They have been booked for kidnapping and extortion under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” said Sachin Kamble, senior inspector of Pelhar police station.