23 February,2026 12:10 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
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The police on Monday said that two unidentified persons have allegedly kidnapped a 20-year-old man in Maharashtra's Thane city and demanded Rs 5 lakh from his friend for his release, reported news agency PTI.
The incident occurred in the Manpada area on Saturday evening when the victim and his friend were returning home on a motorbike after meeting another friend.
Two unidentified persons on a motorbike allegedly waylaid them, assaulted them and forced the victim onto their two-wheeler before fleeing, an official said, reported PTI.
Later, the kidnappers contacted the victim's friend through WhatsApp and demanded Rs 5 lakh for his release, the police said. The victim's friend subsequently lodged a police complaint. He has not received any subsequent calls from the kidnappers so far, the official said, reported PTI.
The police suspect the incident could be the result of personal rivalry.
They registered a case on Sunday under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for kidnapping and extortion and were probing it, the official said.
In another case, a 31-year-old man was stabbed and stoned to death by a group of men on a busy road in Maharashtra's Palghar district in a gang-related violence, police said on Sunday, reported PTI.
The police have taken one person into custody, and a search has been launched for several others involved in the gruesome killing that took place in the Nalasopara area late on Friday night, an official said, reported PTI.
A CCTV footage, which has gone viral on social media, showed a group of men intercepting an autorickshaw, dragging the victim out, stabbing him and hitting him with stones.
The victim, Shubham Mishra, a resident of Gala Nagar in Nalasopara East, was travelling in an autorickshaw when the accused, who were part of a rival gang, stopped the vehicle on the pretext of wanting cigarettes, he said, reported PTI.
"The accused dragged Mishra out and launched a violent attack using knives and heavy stones," he said.
Mishra sustained grievous injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed during treatment around midnight, the official said, reported PTI.
As per preliminary probe, the dispute between the victim and the accused began at a local bar, he said, adding that the killing may have been a fallout of an enmity between two gangs.
The Nalasopara police have registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including murder and criminal conspiracy, the official said, reported PTI.
"We have taken one person into custody so far. A massive search has been launched to track down the other absconding accused," he said, adding that the attack in public caused tension in the locality, prompting a heavy police presence to maintain law and order.
(With inputs from PTI)
