A fifth suspect in a notorious Bollywood actor kidnapping and extortion case has been arrested, the Bijnor police announced on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Shiva, was apprehended on Tuesday evening and is believed to be a close associate of the gang’s alleged leader, Lavi Pal. Police also recovered Rs 11,000 from his possession.
According to Bijnor SP Abhishek Jha, the gang comprises 10 members, with Shiva being the latest to be arrested. Earlier, four suspects — Sarthak Chaudhary, Sabiuddin alias Shabby, Ajeem, and Shashank Kumar — were taken into custody, and another member, Arjun Karnwal, was arrested separately by the Meerut police.
The gang’s modus operandi involved luring Bollywood actors by sending them fake invitations for events. They would gain the actors’ trust by offering advance payments and air tickets for the supposed events. Once the actors were on board, they would be kidnapped and taken to remote locations. Mushtaq Khan, a thespian known for his role in Gadar 2 and Welcome, and comedian Sunil Pal were among the high-profile victims.
In Mushtaq Khan’s case, on November 20, the gang tricked him into attending a fake event in Delhi, only to be abducted and taken to a flat in Bijnor. The following day, Rs 2.2 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from his accounts through various methods, including cyber cafes and shops. Mushtaq’s event manager eventually filed a complaint, leading to a police investigation.
The gang is known to have targeted other Bollywood stars as well, including Shakti Kapoor and Rajesh Puri. Kapoor narrowly escaped abduction after demanding a higher advance payment, which caused negotiations to break down. Puri, on the other hand, was saved after he shared a selfie with the gang, which alerted his acquaintance.
In addition to the arrests, police have recovered the vehicle used in the kidnappings and are investigating further. Teams have been deployed in Prayagraj, Delhi, and Uttarakhand to track down the remaining members of the gang. Police believe that the gang leader, Lavi Pal, used his connections with Mumbai actors to mastermind these crimes.
Authorities have also issued alerts to prevent further incidents, while investigations continue to identify and apprehend all the gang members involved in these high-profile extortion schemes.
