Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested four members of a gang allegedly involved in the kidnapping of film stars, including actor Mushtaq Mohammad Khan. The gang members had reportedly planned to abduct the veteran actor Shakti Kapoor but called off the plan later.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sarthak Chaudhary, Sabiuddin, Azim, and Shashank. The police also recovered Rs. 1.04 lakh from their possession. According to police investigations, the gang had been using a tactic of sending advance payments and air tickets under the guise of event invitations to lure film stars.
The gang’s operations were brought to light when Mushtaq Khan’s event manager, Shivam Yadav, filed a complaint with the police on December 9. Yadav reported that Khan was invited to an event in Meerut on October 15, with an advance payment of Rs. 25,000 and an air ticket. However, upon his arrival at the Delhi airport on November 20, Khan was forced into a vehicle by a cab driver and later abducted.
According to the police, Khan was taken to Bijnor district and held hostage by the gang at a residence owned by one of the criminals, Lavi alias Rahul Saini. During his captivity, the kidnappers took Khan’s bank account details and password. The gang withdrew Rs. 2.2 lakh from his account the following day while shopping in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar.
In a twist, the police also revealed that the gang had plotted to kidnap actor Shakti Kapoor using a similar tactic. They had offered him Rs. 5 lakh to attend an event but canceled the plan when they requested an advance that was too high. While the plan was called off, the investigation is still ongoing to determine whether the gang was involved in other such crimes against film stars.
The police are now focused on locating the remaining members of the gang and have indicated that there could be more revelations as the investigation continues. Authorities are also trying to determine if the gang had other victims among the film fraternity.
This latest incident has raised concerns about the safety of celebrities and the lengths to which criminal gangs are willing to go to exploit the entertainment industry.
Sources By Agencies
