Two UP cops held for kidnapping businessman for ransom

Lucknow, Dec 3 (IANS) Sub inspector (SI) Anurag Dwivedi and head constable Yusuf Ali of Hasanganj Kotwali have been suspended and arrested for involvement in a woollen garment businessman’s abduction case.

DCP Central Zone Aparna Rajat Kaushik said the FIR had been registered against SI Anurag and head constable Yusuf of Hasanganj Kotwali, apart from a dismissed constable Dhirendra, and three others, namely Nazim, Shekhar and Dinesh Gupta, under Sections IPC 147 (rioting), 323 (punishment for causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 386 (extortion), 392 (robbery) and 64 A (kidnapping for ransom).

She said that search was on for the dismissed constable and three others.

An FIR with charges of assault, taking hostage and robbery was registered against SI Anurag, head constable Yusuf, dismissed constable Dhirendra and Nazim, Shekhar a.k.a. Chunnu and Dinesh Gupta.

The case was registered on the complaint of inspector Hasanganj, Raj Kumar.

Probe revealed that businessman Ishtiyaq of Bijnor was named in several cases of theft and the accused knew about his shady past.

“To extort money from Ishtiaq, the accused hatched a conspiracy to round him up, pretending he was to be questioned about his previous crime record. Subsequently, SI Anurag Dwivedi, head constable Yusuf Ali, constable Dhirendra Yadav (dismissed in Shravan Sahu murder case) and three history-sheeters bundled him in an SUV and brought him to a guest house in Nirala Nagar where they demanded ransom,” the officer said.

The accused, however, split over division of the money they were to extort and accused Shekhar a.k.a. Chunnu spilled the beans on social media, posting a video of the kidnapping and beating of Ishtiaq.

The video went viral.

Later, when Ishtiaq filed a complaint in the Hasanganj police station, investigation started and the entire conspiracy was exposed.

Ishtiaq, a resident of Bijnor, had gone to Azamgarh three days ago to sell warm clothes. The accused policeman and dismissed constable reached there and asked him to get ready for interrogation in the cases of theft.

When he protested, he was allegedly kidnapped and brought to Lucknow.

Ishtiaq had written in the complaint that he was kept in a guest house in Nirala Nagar. Dismissed constable Dhirendra Yadav, SI Anurag and head constable Yusuf came there and beat him . They took the bundles of warm clothes and also snatched Rs 20,000 from him. Then they made him call his family to ask them to bring Rs 1.25 lakh within 24 hours.

However, it became clear from electronic surveillance and CCTV footage that the six accused had gone to Azamgarh and had brought Ishtiaq only for extortion.