7 arrested for holding Delhi man hostage, extorting ₹2.75 crore from him

Police said that the businessman was called to Ghaziabad by his acquaintance Ishant Tyagi, 42, to an apartment in Raj Nagar Extension, where he was held hostage on gunpoint

The Ghaziabad police have arrested seven people for allegedly holding hostage a Delhi-based businessman last week and extorting nearly ₹2.75 crore from him, officers said on Saturday.

An FIR ws lodged for extortion, wrongful confinement, and voluntarily causing hurt in this connection. (FILE)

According to the police, the prime suspect, Ishant Tyagi, was known to the victim.

Police said that 35-year-old Shashank Sharma, a resident of Janakpuri in Delhi, approached them on October 14, and alleged that he was called to Ghaziabad by his acquaintance Ishant Tyagi, 42, to an apartment in Raj Nagar Extension on the pretext of meeting him. When he reached there, seven other people were present in the house, including Tyagi’s wife, according to the victim.

There, Sharma was held hostage at gunpoint and beaten up, after which the suspects demanded ₹6 crore from him, police said.

“Prime suspect Ishant Tyagi and the victim met each other a couple of years ago as they had businesses in Saharanpur. Tyagi has criminal antecedents. On October 14, he called up Sharma to meet at a friend’s flat in a high-rise in Raj Nagar Extension. There, Tyagi and his group, held Sharma hostage and also beat him up on gunpoint. They ask him to shelve ₹6 crore. However, Sharma could arrange only ₹2.75 crore at that time,” said Nipun Agarwal, DCP (city).

After Sharma gave them the money, the suspects let him off after six hours and fled the spot. “The victim later approached the police, after which we registered an FIR for extortion, wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing hurt at Nandgram police station. We have arrested seven people in this connection. Ishant Tyagi surrendered himself soon after the crime on October 18 in Dehradun in another case of attempt to murder. We will bring him on police custody remand for questioning,” the DCP added.

Police identified the arrested suspects as Shilpa Tyagi, Ishant Tyagi’s wife, Harshit Kumar, 28 Kartik Kumar, 26, Pradeep Singh Negi, 32, Pitambar Das Maurya, 38, Nimish Singhal, 30, and Nishant Tyagi, 34.

The DCP said that Shilpa Tyagi works with an advertising firm in Delhi’s Burari. She had called two of her office colleagues to help in committing the crime. The suspects were arrested on Saturday from Bhatta number 5 road near Raj Nagar Extension.

Police have recoverednearly ₹2.25 crore from the suspects.