Fruit wholesaler from Bengal kidnapped, tortured in Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) A 33-year-old fruit wholesaler hailing from West Bengal endured a harrowing ordeal in Delhi after he was abducted, subjected to physical assault, and forcibly held captive in the national capital for three days.

During this time, he was coerced into parting with nearly Rs 3 lakh. Ultimately, the abductors released him at a Metro Station.

The incident came to light when the police received information from the victim, Babloo Yadav's brother-in-law.

According to police, Babloo had been taken captive by unidentified individuals shortly after his arrival in Delhi from Bagdogra, West Bengal. It was disclosed that the kidnappers had already extracted Rs 2.5 lakh from Babloo by the time he was liberated and subsequently reported the incident to the Indira Gandhi International Airport police station. The FIR was accessed by IANS, outlined Babloo's narrative.

A resident of Siliguri, West Bengal, and originally from Bihar's Samastipur, he, in his complaint, recounted an encounter from approximately eight months prior.

During that time, he had met a person named Ajay from Haryana in Siliguri, who was visiting with friends for sightseeing in Gangtok, Sikkim.

According to Babloo's statement, he received a call from Ajay on September 13, inviting him to Delhi. With a plan to purchase apples from Azadpur Mandi, Babloo decided to visit Delhi and concurrently attend to his business affairs.

Seven days later, on September 20, Babloo boarded an Indigo flight from Bagdogra and landed at Delhi Airport. There, he was met by a taxi sent by the aforementioned Ajay. Babloo was then transported to an undisclosed location, where Ajay was already present on a scooter.

“Subsequently, he was taken to a room where three to four men confiscated his phone and held him captive. The following morning, Ajay and the others physically assaulted Babloo, using kicks and punches. He was then blindfolded and placed in a vehicle. The kidnappers continued to threaten him with dire consequences while forcibly compelling him to call his father-in-law and request money,” read the FIR.

“On September 21, Babloo was held captive in a cattle shed. His family continued to send money, but when they declined further payments, the kidnappers abandoned him at Bahadurgarh Metro station at around 3 p.m. on September 22,” read the FIR.

Following this, Babloo was taken to the police station in a PCR van, and the authorities registered a case in response to the incident.

A senior police official said that an FIR under sections 364 A (kidnapping for ransom, etc.) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at IGI police station and further probe is going on.