CA of a Firm kidnapped by 4; Demanded Rs.5 Crore to recoup Investment Losses

Furious after incurring massive losses on their investments, four men teamed together and kidnapped a chartered accountant associated with the organisation into which they had invested their money.

They hoped to get back their money through him. Bhushan Arora, a Chartered accountant, was forced into a car outside his Chandivli office and driven to a residence in Navi Mumbai, where he was detained for five days and his family was demanded to pay a ransom of Rs.5 crore. Powai police recently rescued Arora and arrested the four men.

Police stated the accused are ordinary citizens with no criminal history. Nonetheless, they meticulously planned the crime, selecting a spot that was not monitored by cameras, using a duplicate numberplate for the getaway car, and making ransom calls from various locations. Out of the four, Niranjan Singh (32) is a Bihar-based engineer.

The others, Amol Mhatre (41), Vidhichandra Yadav (31) and Mohammad Suleiman (20), are Navi Mumbai residents who work for private companies.

On January 17, Atora left home for his office but did not return. The next day; his wife got a call from his number. He demanded her to organise Rs.5 crore. She heard someone mention in the background that Arora was doing well and that they were his friends.­

She filed a police complaint that night after not hearing from Ar­ora again. The final call she received was on January 19, when the abductors said Arora was responsible for losses of up to Rs.15 crore.

“The accused attempted to contact the investment group’s directors after incurring losses but were unsuccessful. They observed Arora at an exhi­bition and tailed him. They monitored his routine for nearly a month,” said DCP Dat­ta Nalawade.

They travelled to various locations to make ransom calls, either by bus or bike. The victim was never removed from the farmhouse.

“Twelve teams of nearly 65 po­licemen were formed,” said se­nior inspector Jitendra Sonawane.

Police searched the locations where the calls were made from Rasayani, Govandi, and Ai­roli until an informant told them they had found one of the kidnappers in Panvel.

The accused had removed Arora’s SIM card and inserted it into a new handset to make ransom calls. A team of inspector Ganesh Patil and assistant inspector Vinod Lad checked every farmhouse till they located Arora and two of the abductors late on Jan 21.

The other two accused were arrested on Wednesday. According to police, Arora was manhandled and bruised.

“We’re investigating how they came up with the abduction strategy. “They were most likely inspired by a web series or a TV crime show,” Nalawade added.

Police claimed Thane and Navi Mumbai police filed separate FIRs against the investment group’s directors in 2022.