Mushtaq Khan was invited to Meerut to attend an event
New Delhi:
Film actor Mushtaq Khan, best known for his performances in Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke and Welcome, was kidnapped, tortured for hours and forced to pay Rs 2 lakh before he managed to escape. Police have registered an FIR in connection with the incident, which took place on November 20 in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. According to the complaint, Mr Khan received a call from one Rahul Saini at his home in Mumbai on November 15. The caller invited him to an event in Meerut where some people will be honored. The actor often attended such events, so this was not a cause for alarm.
Rahul Saini also promised to pay the actor's fees for attending the event. He immediately transferred Rs 25,000 through UPI and said he would pay the balance later. The caller also sent him a flight ticket from Mumbai to Delhi. On November 20, Mr Khan landed in Delhi and boarded a taxi sent by Rahul Saini. In addition to the driver, there was another man in the car. The car quickly stopped and the actor was asked to get into another vehicle. According to the complaint, the same man was driving this car and two others were with Mr. Khan. The car stopped again and two more people got in.
By then, Mr. Khan had smelled a rat and protested. The men then put a sheet over him and asked him to keep his head down. About three to four hours later they reached a house. There the kidnapper tortured and asked him to call his family and ask them to transfer money to an account. They took Mr Khan's phone and managed to transfer around Rs 2 lakh to their account.
The kidnappers then started drinking and when they passed out early in the morning, the actor somehow managed to escape. He rushed to a nearby mosque and the cleric there helped him contact his family. The complaint, filed by Mr Khan's manager, said the actor was very unwell and had instructed him to make the complaint. The complaint demands strict action against those involved.
Connection to Sunil Pal's kidnapping?
Mushtaq Khan's complaint about a kidnapping nightmare in Meerut comes at a time when the city's police are investigating the kidnapping of comedian Sunil Pal. Mr Pal had traveled to Uttarakhand for an event and was kidnapped on his way back. He was later released in Meerut.
“He (Pal) has alleged that he was kidnapped when he had gone to Uttarakhand for a show. When he stopped for a snack along the way, a man posing as a fan pushed him into a car. While they demanded Rs 20 lakh, Pal said he was released after he managed to pay Rs 8 lakh he collected from his friends,” a Mumbai Police official said after the comedian filed a complaint.
“Pal claimed that he was released from the side of a road in Meerut, from where he reached Delhi airport and took a flight to Mumbai. His wife had also filed a missing complaint. No arrest has been made. Further investigation is underway.” the official said.
Meerut police are now investigating whether there is a link between these two kidnappings.
