Man held captive in Ghaziabad hotel for extortion, 4 arrested

The suspects, pretending to be buyers, contacted the victim and arranged a meeting at a hotel in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad: A 22-year-old man from Delhi was allegedly held captive in a Ghaziabad hotel for extortion by four suspects whom he met online about a month ago, police said, adding that following a raid on Friday night the victim was released and all the suspects were arrested.

Police said that the victim was held captive for about six hours in the hotel before being rescued late Friday night. (Representational image)

The four suspects were identified as Deepak Lal, 27, Akash Kumar, 26, Sanjay Shekhar, 29 and Tarun Kumar, 25. All the four are friends and met victim Akash Jha, a resident of Sangam Vihar, Delhi, through an online platform, officers said.

“The victim operates a gaming channel through the platform and was keen to sell the channel. The suspects were interested in purchasing the channel and contacted him. During online discussion, they sensed that the victim is financially sound. So, they planned to extort money and called him for a meeting at a hotel in Muradnagar on Friday afternoon,” said Siddharth Gautam, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Masuri/Muradnagar circle.

Officers said that when Jha reached the Ghaziabad hotel, the men overpowered him at gunpoint and asked him to get ₹1.25 lakh for his release.

“The men in between got busy when they ordered food and drinks. The victim secretly caught hold of his mobile in the evening and called up his friend Laxman Singh, in Delhi for help. His friend approached the police and a team traced the victim’s location at Muradnagar. A raid was conducted and the victim was released while four men were caught unawares and arrested,” the ACP added.

Police said that the victim was held captive for about six hours in the hotel before being rescued late Friday night.

Based on the complaint by Jha’s friend, police registered a first information report under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 127(2) (wrongful confinement) and 308(2) (extortion) and also levied provisions of the Arms Act at Muradnagar police station on Saturday.