Comedian Sunil Pal given ₹20K from ₹7.5 lakh ransom by kidnappers for flight: Report

Sunil Pal said the kidnappers, claiming to be unemployed, promised to repay the amount once they found jobs.

After being held hostage for 24 hours by five men in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, Mumbai-based comedian Sunil Pal was handed ₹20,000 in cash to help him return home.

Comedian Sunil Pal was kidnapped, demanded ₹20 lakh, but settled for ₹7.5 lakh.

The kidnappers, who had lured Sunil Pal under the pretext of organising a comedy show, initially demanded a ransom of ₹20 lakh but later settled for ₹7.5 lakh, which they used to buy jewellery.

Claiming to be unemployed, the kidnappers promised to repay the amount once they found jobs, The Times of India reported.

Sunil Pal, the well-known stand-up comedian and actor was invited to perform at an event in Haridwar, with part of the payment already received in advance.

“I didn't suspect anything unusual as everything seemed legitimate. They sent a car to pick me up from the Delhi airport last Monday. After reaching Meerut, a group of men forcibly transferred me into another vehicle. They blindfolded me and warned me that they had a poison-filled injection and would kill me if I didn't cooperate,” Pal told ToI.

Read: Six booked for kidnapping comedian Sunil Pal

Pal recounted that the kidnappers threatened him with a poison-filled injection and demanded ₹20 lakh for his release. However, after negotiating, he transferred ₹7.5 lakh to the accounts they provided.

The kidnappers then gave him ₹20,000 to book a flight back to Mumbai, promising to repay the ransom once they found jobs.

Describing the ordeal as “terrifying,” Pal was relieved to return home safely and immediately lodged an FIR at the Santa Cruz police station in Mumbai after his release.

The Santacruz Police said Pal’s wife had approached them to lodge a missing person’s complaint, saying she had been unable to reach her husband on the phone since December 2.

When Santacruz police managed to establish contact with Pal, he confirmed that he was on his way back to Mumbai.

The case has been transferred to Meerut police for further investigation as Pal was reportedly released on a road in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.