An IAS academy director was kidnapped at gunpoint in Bhopal and forced to transfer ₹1.89 crore. The mastermind, a franchise operator, was arrested along with accomplices. Police recovered the money.
Bhopal: In a shocking incident, the director of a well-known IAS academy in Delhi was kidnapped at gunpoint in Bhopal and robbed of a massive ₹1.89 crore. The victim, who runs the Shubhra Ranjan IAS Academy in Delhi, was held captive for about 4 hours while the culprits extorted the huge sum.
The mastermind behind this crime is Priyank Sharma, who was running the Bhopal franchise of the same academy. Priyank Sharma tricked the director into coming to Bhopal, saying they needed to discuss business expansion and a seminar. Believing it was a business trip, she arrived in Bhopal and checked into a five-star hotel.
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Bhopal Kidnapping
On Wednesday, around 2:30 PM, Priyank picked her up from the hotel and took her to a rented flat in Bagsewania. This flat, it turns out, was rented just a day before the crime. When they arrived, other armed men were already waiting inside. They held the director and her companions captive for four hours. To make sure no one heard their screams, the accused played loud devotional songs in the flat.
At gunpoint, they forced her to transfer ₹1.89 crore online into two bank accounts named 'Janashil Society' and 'RS Enterprises'. They also threatened her not to inform the police. To scare her, they showed a fake video of a person tied up in a box, warning that her companions would be harmed if she went to the police.
After the money was transferred, she was released late on Wednesday night. Following a complaint filed by a Delhi resident named Santosh Kumar, the Bhopal Crime Branch launched an investigation. Realising he was about to be caught, Priyank Sharma faked an illness and got himself admitted to the ICU at AIIMS Bhopal. However, the police reached the hospital, and with the help of doctors, confirmed he was fine before taking him into custody.
Along with Priyank, five of his accomplices have also been arrested. The police have recovered the gun, vehicles, and mobile phones used in the crime. Thanks to the police's quick action, the bank accounts were frozen immediately, securing the entire ₹1.89 crore. The police are now working to return the money to the complainant. The investigation is still on to find if more people were involved.
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