Four members of the gang have been arrested in the kidnapping case of actor Mushtaq Mohammad Khan, held hostage in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district after abduction from Delhi airport and with demands for ransom, the police said. According to police, the same gang had also planned to abduct veteran actor Shakti Kapoor posing as an event invitation.
Bijnor Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha revealed details of the case by stating that the event manager of Mushtaq Khan, Shivam Yadav, had filed a complaint on December 9. The complaint states that Lavi alias Rahul Saini had sent an advance payment of ₹25,000 and an air ticket on October 15 to invite Khan, best known for roles in Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke and Welcome, to Meerut.
On November 20, when Khan arrived at Delhi airport, he was taken by a cab driver, who later stopped at a popular ‘shikanji’ shop between Meerut and Delhi. There, the actor was forcibly transferred into another vehicle, where more kidnappers joined him. He was then kept hostage at the house of Lavi, who is a notorious criminal, police said.
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“During his captivity, the gang managed to acquire Khan’s bank account information and password. However, on the morning of November 21, when the kidnappers fell asleep, Mushtaq Khan escaped and ran to a mosque in Mohalla Chahshiri to seek help. Locals contacted his family, enabling him to return home,” SP Jha said.
Later, the kidnappers withdrew ₹2.2 lakh from Khan’s account through shopping sprees in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar. Among the arrested suspects are Sarthak Chaudhary, Sabiuddin, Azim, and Shashank, from whom ₹1.04 lakh was recovered.
Police revealed that the modus operandi of the gang was to lure actors with advance payments and air tickets in the name of event invitations. They confirmed that Shakti Kapoor was offered ₹5 lakh for an event, but the deal failed due to disagreements over the advance amount.
Arjun is a member of the same gang which kidnapped comedian Sunil Pal. He was shot by the police in an encounter with him in Meerut as he tried to escape custody.
Police recovered a Scorpio SUV, ₹2.25 lakh, and other evidence linked to Pal’s abduction.
Efforts to trace remaining suspects, including Lavi, are being continued while investigating whether the gang is behind any other celebrity abduction cases.
