Teen abducted from Marine Drive identifies accused

Raj Khandwala, the 18-year-old son of a stockbroker who had been abducted on Thursday, identified his two alleged kidnappers on Monday, reports HT Correspondent.

Raj Khandwala, the 18-year-old son of a stockbroker who had been abducted on Thursday, identified his two alleged kidnappers on Monday.

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The two accused, Ateeq Handa and Eliaz Khan, however, denied any involvement in kidnap.

Zunzarrao Gharal, senior inspector of Marine Drive police station, said the two had called Khandwala on his mobile a few hours before he was kidnapped.

“Based on the number we got from Khandwala’s mobile phone, we traced Khan and Handa and arrested the two from their respective houses in Cuffe Parade and Nagpada,” said Gharal.

Khandwala, a small-time event organiser, had received phone calls from the two a month earlier asking him to pay Rs 5 lakh.

On Thursday, Handa and Khan allegedly stopped Khandwala’s car while he was coming out of Cricket Club of India in south Mumbai around 7 pm.

They asked him for tickets to the party, and then forced him into their car.

The duo took Khandwala around south Mumbai for two hours in their car and asked him to arrange for Rs 5 lakh in cash. Khandwala tried to call a friend, but failed to do so.

Fearing arrest, Handa and Khan dropped him on the road and fled. They threatened Khandwala with dire consequences if he told anyone about the kidnap.

Khandwala, however, approached the police with his parents and lodged a complaint.

“We are now conducting inquiries to find out if there was any monetary dispute between the victim and the accused and how they got in touch with Khandwala to extort money,” said Gharal.