Woman folk artiste among 5 nabbed for abducting Panipat resident for ransom

CHANDIGARH: With the arrest of five persons, including a woman folk artiste , Haryana police said they have cracked a kidnapping case that took place in Panipat within 72 hours. The police also recovered Rs 15 lakh taken as ransom money from the abductors.


The mastermind is identified as Kajal, a folk artiste and resident of Panipat.

The others are Shubham and Ankit, both from Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, Amit of Pundri in Karnal and Narender of Sonipat.

According to the police, the team had stage-managed the kidnapping in such a way that Kajal was also abducted along with Naresh. The police also informed that the four accused had kept shifting Naresh and Kajal between Delhi and Ghaziabad and Kajal was also kept tied along with him so that Naresh would not suspect her. Naresh had apparently not shared that Kajal was also abducted along with him with the police.

On July 12, Naresh Aghi, a resident of Model Town in Panipat, was kidnapped by some unknown persons when he was going to his farm in his SUV. For Aghi’s release, the kidnappers demanded Rs 1 crore ransom from his son Chirag. Aghi was let off after his son paid a ransom of Rs 20 lakh.

Aghi has filed a complaint with Model Town police station on July 13.

The police had entrusted the case to crime investigation agency team that, after going through CCTV footages and based on tip-offs, had nabbed the four accused from Sujanpur Khekra, district Bagpat in Uttar Pradesh and Kajal from Purewal Colony in Panipat.

During preliminary interrogation, Kajal had confessed that she and her accomplices had kidnapped Naresh Aghi for ransom. It was also revealed that Kajal and Naresh Aghi knew each other. Kajal also knew that Naresh had recently sold his land for crores of rupees and that his family would have the cash to pay the ransom. Kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore from Naresh’s son, but later settled for Rs 20 lakh.