Four kidnap Dharavi bizman, forcibly transfer ₹1.81L from his account

Police arrest 1 accused of kidnapping and assaulting a businessman in Mumbai, forcing him to transfer ₹1.81 lakh via net banking. 3 accused still at large.

MUMBAI: The police arrested one of the four accused who allegedly kidnapped a 35-year-old businessman from Dharavi, assaulted and forced him to transfer ₹1.81 lakh to their bank accounts via net banking.

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Three accused, including mastermind Abdul Khan, a resident of Ghatkopar, are still at large. Police officials said there was some monetary dispute between Khan and one more person staying in Uttar Pradesh. The borrower informed Khan that he had given the money to the victim, and he was not returning his money and therefore he could collect the money directly from him. Khan therefore made a plan and kidnapped the victim on January 23, said a police officer.

According to the police, the complainant, Mohammad Nizamuddin Shaikh, a leather bags manufacturer from Dharavi, informed them that he got a call from Abdul Khan claiming to be a resident of Ghatkopar and said he wanted to give an order for 15,000 bags and requested him to meet him near Kalpana theatre in Kurla on January 23.

Khan came with four people, including Kashif Ali, who worked near Shaikh’s unit in Dharavi. They met around 3.00pm, Khan started beating Shaikh, as soon as he reached the spot and others also joined him. They took him some distance away in a narrow lane near Mithi river at CST Road in Kurla and beat him again and asked him to start his mobile phone, said the police officer.

Once the screen lock of the mobile opened, they opened HDFC Bank’s application in his phone and again bashed him up after he refused to transfer money to the accused. The victim got scared and opened the HDFC bank application and they saw the total balance was ₹1.91 lakh in the bank account. The accused made four transactions, transferring ₹1.81 lakh from his bank account to their bank account. They also made a video of the victim accepting that he owed ₹1.17 lakh more to the accused and that he would pay the amount in a few days.

Shaikh then went home and after discussing with his family members approached the Kurla police on Wednesday. We have registered a case against Abdul Sattar Khan and his accomplices Kashifa Ali Imtiaz Ali Syed, Irfan Rashid Ali Khan and Mohammad Chaudhary under the charges of kidnapping, extortion and assault. One accused was arrested and we are looking for others, said senior inspector Ashok Khot of the Kurla police station.