A 24-year-old man, who used to call loan agents after getting numbers from online platforms to hold them hostage for ransom, has been arrested, the police said on Thursday.
The accused has been identified as Shamim, a resident of Mewat district of Haryana. He was also wanted in a case of kidnapping and sexual assault in Mewat in which the victim was a minor, they said.
“On September 3, a Delhi-based loan commission agent was kidnapped from Gurugram. The accused had told him that he had some loan-related query and convinced him to meet. After robbing the victim, the accused called his family members and demanded a ransom of ₹10 lakh from them which was later negotiated at ₹50,000,” a senior police officer said.
The victim’s family deposited ₹15,000 in his account which was withdrawn by the accused from an ATM kiosk in Mewat, the police said.
Just after the money was withdrawn, the victim was released, they said. On the complaint of the victim’s wife, a case was registered at Gulabi Bagh in Delhi.
Arrested from Jaipur
“During investigation, the police examined call detail records and CCTV footage after which they zeroed in on Shamim who was arrested from Jaipur,” said DCP (North) Monika Bhardwaj.
During interrogation, Shamim said he was the mastermind of a gang. He, along with Haroon, Mazid, Sanir and Pandit, was involved in many such cases. They used the same modus operandi to extort money from different people in Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur and Delhi, Ms. Bhardwaj said.
Online search
Shamim, along with his accomplices, used to call an online platform for services like business loan, car loan, lift installation. Thereafter, they used to contact the persons concerned and ask them to reach the outskirts of Gurugram, the police said. Once the victim reached, they used to take him hostage and call his family members for ransom after robbing him of his belongings, the DCP said.
Earlier, they had called two persons in Alwar in Rajastan on the pretext of installation of a lift and robbed them.
