Actor Mushtaq Khan escapes gunpoint abduction, 2 detained
The gang’s modus operandi came to light again when actor-comedian Sunil Pal became their next victim. On December 2, Pal was invited to perform at a Haridwar event, with an advance payment transferred to gain his trust.
Veteran actor Mushtaq Mohammad Khan narrowly escaped a harrowing kidnapping and extortion plot, raising concerns about the safety of performers across the country. The police have identified the gang involved and taken two suspects into custody for interrogation.
The perpetrators, posing as an event management company, targeted Khan by inviting him to perform at an event honouring senior citizens in Bijnor. On November 20, Khan arrived at Delhi airport, where he was picked up by a cab. During the journey, the cab driver switched vehicles, and two other men joined, holding him at gunpoint and taking him to a house in Bijnor’s Chahshiri locality.
Confined overnight, Khan escaped early the next morning and sought refuge in a local mosque. He contacted his son using a borrowed phone, leading to his rescue by relatives and friends from Delhi and Ghaziabad. During his captivity, the gang extorted ₹2 lakh from his son’s account by coercing him into revealing his bank details.
Khan, known for his roles in ‘Welcome’ and ‘Stree 2’, was left deeply shaken. While he did not initially file a complaint, his event manager Shivam Yadav reported the incident on December 10 after learning that comedian Sunil Pal had also been kidnapped in a similar manner.
The gang’s modus operandi came to light again when actor-comedian Sunil Pal became their next victim. On December 2, Pal was invited to perform at a Haridwar event, with an advance payment transferred to gain his trust. During his journey, he was abducted, blindfolded, and taken to Meerut, where he was held captive.
The gang extorted ₹8 lakh from Pal’s friends and misused his PAN and Aadhaar details to make high-value purchases, including jewellery. Released on December 3, Pal’s wife lodged a complaint at Mumbai’s Santacruz Police Station, leading to swift action and the freezing of accounts linked to the ransom money.
After the incident gained public attention, Meerut senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vipin Tada formed ten teams to investigate the case and detained two suspects for interrogation.
“Two suspects are currently in custody and being interrogated, while further investigations are underway,” said superintendent of police (City) Ayush Vikram Singh.
Sources, however, claimed that the police had taken two gang leaders into custody from Bijnor on Tuesday night but had not disclosed their arrest as a manhunt for their other aides continues.
The police are also investigating an audio clip that has surfaced online, in which Pal can be heard allegedly discussing the kidnapping plan with an unidentified person, mentioning his wife’s awareness of the situation and media discussions about the episode.
Tada stated that Pal’s wife, Sarita, met with police officials along with her lawyers on Wednesday and narrated the incident. “Officials have instructed her to come with Sunil Pal, which is essential for the investigation,” he added. The SSP also mentioned that Sarita described the clip as edited.
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