Lucknow: A joint team of SWAT and Garhmukteshwar police on Thursday rescued a kidnapped youth and arrested six accused, including a woman, busting an abduction-for-ransom racket. Police also recovered ₹7.5 lakh allegedly collected as ransom.Police said the victim, Fazil Hayat, a resident of Alipur Chaupala under Gajraula police station in Amroha district, was abducted on Apr 17. The kidnapping was masterminded by Mohammad Salman and Masood Ahmad, who, along with their associates Akash, Rahul Tyagi, and Neeraj Kumar, took him to Aligarh.ADG, Meerut zone, Bhanu Bhaskar said the investigation revealed that the gang had planned the abduction to extort ₹25 lakh from the victim’s family.“The accused kept the victim confined at a house in Aligarh belonging to co-accused Rahul Tyagi, where his wife, Shruti alias Shikha Tyagi alias Julie, also assisted in sheltering both the victim and the accused. The gang managed to collect ₹7.5 lakh as ransom,” said Bhaskar.The police team conducted a raid near Syana road under the Garhmukteshwar area, and arrested the accused.Police found ₹7.5 lakh cash with the accused, along with two illegal country-made pistols of .315 bore with live cartridges, two knives, and a car used in the crime.The accused have been identified as Mohammad Salman of Aligarh, Masood Ahmad of Bulandshahr (residing in Aligarh), Akash of Kannauj (currently in Gautambudhnagar), Neeraj Kumar of Bijnor (currently in Gautambudhnagar), Rahul Tyagi of Ghaziabad (currently in Aligarh), and his wife Shruti alias Shikha Tyagi alias Julie.
