A 20-year-old man in Delhi had to be rescued by police after a meeting with a woman he had been chatting with online for two months took a dangerous turn.
Nikhil had gone out to meet Khushi, whom he had connected with on the internet, but the day ended in distress, prompting swift intervention by the Delhi Police.
The incident took place on Thursday, when Nikhil left home saying he was going to meet Khushi, a woman he had been chatting with on social media.
Hours later, his sister received a call from his number. To her surprise, the caller identified himself as Khushi’s brother and claimed that Nikhil had been caught with her and would not be released. He then disconnected the call, PTI reported, quoting deputy commissioner of police (East) Abhishek Dhania.
Worried, Nikhil’s sister rushed to the Shakarpur police station in East Delhi. The police immediately swung into action and formed a team to trace his whereabouts. His last known location was tracked to Noida’s Sector 6, but no lead was found there.
Shortly after, his phone was switched on briefly, and its location was traced to Yamuna Khadar near Mayur Vihar Metro Station.
{{/usCountry}}Shortly after, his phone was switched on briefly, and its location was traced to Yamuna Khadar near Mayur Vihar Metro Station.
{{/usCountry}}When the police team reached the spot, they found several men assaulting Nikhil.
“The team immediately rushed to the spot where they found a group of men assaulting the victim. Upon seeing the police, the attackers tried to flee, abandoning their motorcycles,” PTI quoted the officer as saying.
While most of the men managed to escape, the police arrested Sanjeev Kumar Lohia, a 31-year-old resident of Trilokpuri. Nikhil’s phone was also recovered from his possession, the DCP added.
An initial probe suggests that Nikhil was abducted and assaulted with the motive of extortion, the report added.
A friend meet gone wrong
Nikhil told to the police that he left his home to meet Khushi, who took him to Indirapuram Mall. Later, five men blocked their way near a metro station and abducted Nikhil.
He claimed that the girl he had gone to meet was also an accomplice and coordinated with the attackers.
A case has been registered at Shakarpur police station and a probe is underway. The police said that they are trying to track and arrest the remaining accused.
"Multiple teams have been formed to trace the remaining accused, including Khushi. We also caution while interacting with strangers online and report any suspicious activity immediately," said DCP Dhania.
With PTI inputs.