A series of incidents where businessmen from Mumbai and elsewhere have been lured by online adverts for land deals and kidnapped for ransom has the Rajasthan cops stumped
Navi Mumbai cops and the Deeg police rescued Anand Ahire (in green T-shirt) last month
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Several businessmen have learnt this the hard way after they were lured to Bharatpur in Rajasthan by gangs who promised their victims a great bargain, but ended up kidnapping, and holding them to ransom.
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Bharatpur has become notorious for this kidnapping racket, and locals know well enough to keep away from suspicious deals there.
However, the kidnapping gangs target unsuspecting businessmen from far off places, including Mumbai. The Deeg police station, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, said they get as many as 10 such cases every month.
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“The local villagers are aware about such fraud and they don’t get trapped. But well-to-do businessmen from other states are lured by the kidnappers’ promises and end up paying in lakhs,” said Ajay Kaniyalal Chaudhari, senior police inspector, Deeg police station.
Most of the gang members are residents of a local village called Hatiya, which is infamous for such crimes. Senior inspector Kaniyalal said he was aware of the problem and was doing his best to curb the menace since he was posted at the police station three months ago.
In fact, the police have even put up signboards near the railway station, at bus stops and across the city, to warn visitors about the dangers. “The poster warns people to first inform the police if they have come to purchase gold or any other items from Bharatpur, as many cases of cheating and kidnapping take place. Despite the warnings, people still fall for the trap,” said Rabale police station’s Assistant Police Inspector Rahul Sonawane, who dealt with one such case just last month.
Modus operandi
The kidnappers mostly get the contact details of their victims through online business directories. They contact them and slowly build their trust, before luring them with promises of gold or lucrative deals. For instance, one victim was sent pictures of a pot of gold and was told he could take it for a few lakhs.
Another victim who sells CCTV cameras was lured with the promise that he would get a contact to supply to a local college.
Read Story: Kidnapping racket disguised as job offer
Inevitably, when the victims reach Bharatpur, they are kidnapped and taken to a dense forest in the area. They are tortured and beaten there, until they are frightened enough to call their families so the gang can demand a ransom. While the kidnappers are well-armed, they rarely harm the captives and release them as soon as they receive the ransom money.
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