A Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter kidnapped and held a doctor for ransom in Gurugram in order to make quick money to finance a movie he hoped he would be cast as the lead in.
Amitesh Chaubey, 28-year-old martial arts fighter kidnapped the victim, a 27-year-old doctor with the help of the Joginder Panchi Jatan gang on March 16. The members of the gang are former wrestlers and hockey players. Chaubey and his friends kidnapped the victim when he stopped his car by a liquor store to relieve himself.
The group then sent a message to the doctor's family demanding Rs 55 lakh in exchange for the doctor. He was released after the family paid the hefty ransom.
"I received a WhatsApp call from my son's mobile number on March 16 at 2 am demanding Rs 55 lakh. The accused asked me to deliver Rs 55 lakh near Sonepat at 11 pm," said the victim's father wrote in an FIR he filed on the night of March 26, Tuesday, according to Hindustan Times.
With the information, the Haryana Special Task Force managed to nab the gang by Wednesday. The members were arrested from different locations in the city. The ransom was also recovered and returned to the doctor's family.
A case has been registered against the gang under sections 34 (crime committed by several people under common intention) and 364 A (kidnapping for ransom) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The police said that Chaubey was a boxer who had participated in the Super Boxing League. He had acted in a Bhojpuri film and was looking to make it big in the movie industry. Chaubey had recently also directed a short film. Chaubey did not have the money to finance his film and hence resorted to kidnapping in order to make money.
Chaubey became part of the Joginder Panchi Jatan gang a few years back when he met the gang leader, Joginder Panchi Jatan, in a club in Delhi.
The gang was formed in October 2015 when Joginder Panchi Jatan's brother was shot dead due to political rivalries. Jatan then formed the gang and he himself has been involved in several crimes including dacoity, ATM robberies and looting.
