Five arrested in connection to bridal make-up artist’s abduction

Delhi Police arrested five persons in connection with the abduction case of a 23-year-old high-end bridal make-up artist, Abhishek Khetarpal at West Delhi’s Janakpuri area, police said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Wasim, the mastermind, along with his four accomplices — Deepak, Neeraj, Vinod and Nasir — hatched a plan to abduct Abhishek to earn quick money.

“Wasim, the kingpin, disclosed that he was working as a tailor in the boutique of the victim’s mother, based in Janakpuri in 2011. This boutique was closed in 2012 and Abhishek started a beauty parlour. Wasim was well aware of the sound financial position of the victim’s family and that the victim is the only son. He was in need of money and hence, hatched a plan to abduct the victim for a ransom,” said a senior police official.

Police said that on October 20, at around 9.15 pm, Abhishek’s father approached the police alleging that Abhishek, who had gone to Dwarka for bridal make-up, did not return home. His phone too was found to be switched off. A day after, at around 9.30 pm, Abhishek’s mother received a ransom call of Rs two crore from the accused for the safe release of her son. Based on which, police swung into action, registered a case and started investigation.

Based on technical surveillance and local intelligence, police somehow tracked the location of one of the accused to Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh. Through the joint efforts of the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh police and West district police, Abhishek was safely rescued from Vinod’s house. During sustained interrogation, they disclosed that Deepak made a call to Abhishek for bridal make-up of his handicapped sister in Dwarka. He called Abhishek near Radisson Blu Hotel in Dwarka and from there he was abducted with his car. To misguide police they left his car in the parking lot of IGI Airport.