Five arrested for kidnapping trader in Mumbai’s Malad; video of the crime surfaces – WATCH

MUMBAI: The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has cracked the case of the kidnapping of a 45-year-old businessman who was abducted by some masked men from a busy street in Dindoshi in Malad recently.

The shocking incident took place around 7.45 pm on Sunday. A video clip of the kidnapping case has also emerged which shows a group of masked men threatening the businessman, wearing a white shirt, the moment he steps out of his luxury car in the evening on Sunday in Dindoshi.

The businessman, who was identified as Rakesh Pandey, had halted his car near the Dindoshi bus depot and stepped out to make some purchases. When he returned to his car, another vehicle stopped near him. Few masked men step out of their car and run towards him and get hold of the businessman. One of the abductors, who can be seen carrying an ax-like sharp-edged weapon, threatens the businessman.

The attackers then drag him towards their vehicle while he struggles to free himself. The businessman is then pulled inside the vehicle and it flees the scene. The shocking kidnapping incident, which was was captured on CCTV cameras along the stretch, helped the Crime Branch trace the kidnappers and finally arrest them.

According to the media reports, the Mumbai Police later tracked down the businessman in Nashik and arrested five persons for kidnapping him.

The five accused in the case have been identified as - Pradeep Sunil Sarode, Arif Yunus Sheikh, Suryakant Bheemrao Jadhav, Suraj Vyankat Suryavanshi and Mahesh Vishwanath Kambe.

The police said that the businessman was kidnapped due to fallout over a financial dispute. Businessman Rakesh Pandey had taken a huge amount of money from the father of accused Pradeep Sarode, a resident of Ahmed Nagar.

Since the businessman was refusing to return the money, Pradeep along with his aides hatched a plan to kidnap him. After abducting him from Malad, they took him to Nashik where they threatened the businessman and then abandoned him there.

Even after being freed by his kidnappers, Pandey did not give any information about his abductors to the police.

According to sources, Pandey is also under the scanner in connection with some cases of fraud registered against him.