The final member of the gang, Shubham, walked into a Bijnor police station on Wednesday, ending the saga of the well-publicised kidnappings of comedian Sunil Pal and actor Mushtaq Khan. The ₹25,000 reward, declared for Shubham in both Bijnor and Meerut, brought him in while his mother was still accompanying him during the investigation.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Bajpai, who verified the surrender, Shubham had an active role in kidnappings and will be interrogated before he faces trial. According to Station House Officer Uday Pratap, his mother requested police to let him off.
The ten-strong gang were responsible for planning the kidnappings of Sunil Pal and Mushtaq Khan. Bijnor police had earlier arrested nine of the members, and Meerut police had arrested the tenth, Arjun Karnwal. Lavi Pal, who is also known as Rahul Saini, the leader of the gang, was arrested earlier this week after a fight with the police in which he was injured.
According to Superintendent of Police Abhishek Jha, the culprits had planned out their heinous crimes. They got Actor Mushtaq Khan to go to an event in Meerut by promising him an air ticket and an advanced payment. The victim was kidnapped from the Delhi Airport on November 20. They took him to Bijnor and kept him confined at a Lavi Pal house. But then the next day, Mushtaq Khan managed to escape.
In a related case, comedian Sunil Pal was kidnapped on December 2 while pretending to be at a show. Only after the gang demanded ₹8 lakh in ransom was he freed after being held captive for about 24 hours. After that, Pal’s wife in Mumbai filed a zero FIR, which was forwarded to the Lal Kurti police station in Meerut for additional action.
Authorities aim to learn more about the gang’s actions and motivations with Shubham’s surrender, putting an end to a case that garnered national attention.
