Honey-trapped Kharar student rescued from kidnappers

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 19

The police today arrested three youngsters, including a girl, belonging to Haryana for allegedly kidnapping an engineering student and demanding a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from his parents in an apparent case of honey trap. Two of the suspects are pursuing MBBS and MBA in the district.

Hitesh Bhumla, pursuing Bachelor of Engineering from Chandigarh University, Gharuan, and a resident of Kharar, was allegedly held captive for nearly 48 hours by the suspects before being rescued by the police.

Cops of four states involved

• The level of sophistication involved in the crime has surprised cops, with trail leading them to 3 other states — Uttarakhand, Haryana & UP
• Apart from a luxury car, five mobile phones, a .32 pistol along with nine bullets have been recovered from them
• The three suspects were schoolmates in Moga, claimed the police. Rakhi was stated to be a close friend of Ajay Kadian

Those arrested have been identified as Ajay Kadian (25) of Jattal village in Panipat, Ajay Punia (22) of Aabood village in Sirsa, and Rakhi (20) of Baroli village in Sonepat. A luxury car, five mobile phones, a .32 pistol along with nine bullets have been recovered from the suspects.

DIG (Ropar Range) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Bhumla was held captive in a sedated condition at a rented house in Ranjit Nagar, Kharar. The kidnappers had demanded Rs 50 lakh in ransom from Hitesh’s parents.

Police had received a complaint from Hitesh’s parents that their son had gone missing and that the kidnappers were demanding ransom.

Police teams, led by DSP Gursher Singh and Inspector Shiv Kumar, along with teams of the CIA, Kurukshetra, arrested the suspects and recovered the victim early this morning.

Mohali SSP Vivek S Soni said during investigation, it was found Rakhi had made fake social media profiles and after befriending Hitesh on Instagram and Facebook, lured him into meeting her.

The two met at a mall and the girl along with her accomplices later kidnapped the victim and demanded ransom from his parents for his release.

Police in districts of Ambala, Haridwar and Ghaziabad were active in identifying and arresting the suspects, said the police.

The three have been booked under Sections 364-A (kidnapping for ransom) and 365 (wrongfully confine person) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sadar Kharar police station. Further investigations were on, said the Mohali SSP

Two of the suspects pursuing MBBS, MBA

Victim Hitesh Bhumla, 20, is the son of a banker and a BE student of Chandigarh University, Gharuan, while suspect Ajay Punia is an MBBS student of Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Phase-6, Mohali, Rakhi an MBA student at Chandigarh University & Ajay Kadian a pharmacist, all from well-to-do families.

Victim sedated, kept in kharar flat

After a social media hook-up, Rakhi and Hitesh rendezvous at VR Mall, leading to a house party invite. Hitesh is bundled into the boot of a luxury car and taken to a rented accommodation in Kharar, where he is sedated and tied to a chair. Cops say the girl supervised the victim, while main accused Ajay Kadian remained high on drugs over nearly 48 hrs.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

#MBBS #Mohali