The Bijnor police have unveiled the kidnapping case of film actor Mushtaq Khan. The authorities arrested four individuals from the notorious Lavi Pal gang, including the main suspect, former councilor Ricky Chowdhury. A total of 104,000 rupees along with two mobile phones, reportedly withdrawn from Mushtaq Khan's account, were seized from them. Meanwhile, the hunt for the six absconding members of the gang, including Lavi Pal and Arjun Karvanwal, continues with multiple teams on the lookout. Before targeting Mushtaq Khan, the gang approached another film actor, Shakti Kapoor, for an event, but the deal fell through due to disagreements over the advance token money.
Superintendent of Police Abhishek Jha stated that on October 15, under the alias Rahul Saini, Lavi booked film actor Mushtaq Khan for an event. They advanced 25,000 rupees to Khan and even provided him a flight ticket from Mumbai to Delhi. On November 20, when Mushtaq Khan arrived in Delhi from Mumbai, he was picked up at the airport by a cab allegedly booked by Rahul Saini, intended to transport him from Delhi to Meerut.
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Abduction En Route to Bijnor and Meerut
Lavi, along with his accomplices Ricky, Akash, Shiva, Arjun Ankit, Azim, Shubham, and Sabiuddin traveled to Delhi in a rented Swift car while he drove his own Scorpio. They abducted Khan on the way from Bijnor to Meerut. Upon taking him from his booked taxi, Lavi transferred Khan to his Scorpio, while others followed in the Swift car towards Bijnor.
Source: aajtak
Mushtaq Khan remained oblivious of the abduction until they arrived at Lavi's flat in Nai Basti, where he was held captive, assaulted, and his belongings, including his mobile phone and bank passwords, were seized. However, amidst the chaos, Khan managed to escape leaving all his possessions behind.
Mushtaq Khan Took Refuge in a Mosque
After fleeing, Khan sought refuge in a local mosque and narrated his ordeal to the cleric. Soon, acquaintances arrived to accompany him back to Mumbai. According to the Superintendent of Police, on November 21, the offenders withdrew 25,250 rupees via UPI from a public service center located on Jansath Road in Muzaffarnagar, and 25,400 rupees from a mobile shop in Sujdu Chungi Khalapar. They also purchased groceries worth 26,000 rupees from Vishal Traders.
Kidnappers Bought Groceries and Mixer
Additionally, they acquired a mixer and a water heating rod from an electronics store. They made transactions amounting to 220,000 rupees from Khan's account, with police retrieving 104,000 of them. SP Abhishek Jha highlighted that Ricky admitted Lavi introduced him to the kidnapping plan and claimed familiarity with various Mumbai actors, suggesting that actors, wary of tarnishing their reputation, seldom report such crimes to the police. Subsequently, Lavi formed a gang with Sabiuddin, Azim, and others, determining to share the spoils of their endeavors equally.
Actor Shakti Kapoor Was Also Targeted
During interrogation, Ricky disclosed a prior attempt to abduct the film actor Shakti Kapoor, invited under the pretense of an event. However, the plan fell through because Kapoor demanded a larger advance token than they anticipated. They also failed to execute a kidnapping plan against actor Rajesh Puri because Puri snapped selfies with them and shared these with an acquaintance, alerting authorities to their criminal intentions.
The Superintendent of Police uncovered that the gang consisted of about ten individuals with key figures being Lavi Pal, Arjun Karvanwal, and Ricky, a former councilor with 11 active cases, including murder, in Bijnor. Other members like Akash, Shiva, Ankit, alias Pahadi, and Shubham are still at large.
Meerut Police Investigating the Case
Shubham is a cousin of Lavi. Police teams are intensifying efforts to apprehend them and gather additional information. The Superintendent mentioned their involvement in the Sunil Pal kidnapping case, which is under investigation by the Meerut police, hence refraining from disclosing further details. Once captured, the main suspects including Lavi, Arjun Karvanwal, and others will unravel the entire conspiracy, expectedly clarifying its magnitude as the Meerut police continue their probe.
