The kidnapped doctor couple from Gaya returned home safely on Wednesday after they were freed in Lucknow. The police claimed to have arrested nine criminals involved in the sensational abduction case. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had taken the case as a “challenge” and was constantly monitoring the rescue operation launched by the State police.
Leading Gaya-based doctor Pankaj Kumar Gupta and his entrepreneur wife Shubhra Gupta were abducted on May 1 while retuning from Giridih in neighbouring Jharkhand after attending a relative’s marriage ceremony.
“We’ve arrested nine criminals, including the gang leader Ajay Singh, involved in the case from Gomti Nagar in Lucknow”, said State police chief P K Thakur
The kidnapped couple were kept at an apartment in the Gomti Nagar area, he said and added that three luxury vehicles, including one belonging to the doctor, police uniforms, a foreign-made weapon, Mrs Gupta’s purse and gold chain were recovered from the flat.
“The Chief Minister even talked to his U.P. counterpart Akhilesh Yadav regarding the case and with the help of the UP police we finally zeroed in on the gang,” Mr. Thakur told media persons. He also claimed that because of the mounting police pressure, the kidnappers released the doctor couple on Wednesday morning and they reached home by train.
“We’d kept the gang members on surveillance for some days and with the help of the UP police surrounded the Sharda apartment in Lucknow on Wednesday morning and arrested them”, Mr. Thakur said.
However, skeptics said the doctor couple might have been released by the kidnappers after paying a huge amount of ransom.
