Nallasopara abduction: Accused planned to kill businessman after collecting ransom, say police

The accused had kidnapped Mumbai chemical supplier Bhavin Shah on October 31

Most members from a gang of six, who were arrested on Friday for the abduction of 39-year-old chemical supplier Bhavin Shah at gunpoint, are from east Uttar Pradesh (UP), said Amboli police.

Bhavin Shah and his wife Hetal. (HT)

Cops said they were trying to find out if the accused had bought the pistol and live rounds from UP.

“We have reason to belive that the accused had plans to kill Shah after taking the ransom money. A probe is on to find evidence,” said a police officer privy to the investigation.

“The accused are from east Uttar Pradesh. In the past, there have been many instances of firearms being purchased from UP and used for crimes in the city. We are trying to find out if the weapon in this case was also bought there.”

The accused kidnapped Shah on October 31 and took him to Nallasopara. They later used his phone to send a video of him to his wife Hetal on WhatsApp and demanded a ransom of ₹82 lakh. They eventually settled for ₹10 lakh.

On November 3, they made Hetal run from one station to another with the ransom money to ensure that the police were not trailing them.

They finally met her at Nallasopara station, where the police arrested them.

The main accused, Mohammad Shanu Shaikh, had borrowed Rs2.5 lakh from Shah and was unable to repay him. The police said a probe is on to determine the role of each of the accused and when the conspiracy was hatched.