New Delhi: A pilot and four others were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a farmer and his family in Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar.
The abduction was planned to disrupt land-acquisition process for the upcoming Jewar International Airport and to gain illegal financial benefits, The Indian Express reported citing police in Greater Noida.
The accused include Captain Puttan Singh, who works for a major airline, his wife Sarojbala from Noida, mother-in-law Ramadevi from Delhi, farmer leader Pramod and Pawan Chaudhary, both from Jewar’s Dayanatpur village.
Hansraj, the kidnapped farmer, his wife Kamlesh Devi and elder son Saurabh were rescued by the police near Dayanatpur.
Hansraj, a small farmer, and other residents from six villages were supposed to be relocated as part of the airport project. While most of the villagers had moved to their designated rehabilitation locations, Hansraj did not, despite several notices from the district administration.
How it all unfolded
On May 29, the local magistrate moved Hansraj and his family to the rehabilitation site. During the process, Hansraj — who suffers from asthma — fell ill and had to be hospitalised.
Pramod, Puttan, other farmer leaders and lawyers advised Hansraj’s younger son to file a habeas corpus petition in Allahabad High Court, accusing police and officials of illegally detaining his family.
On June 9, the court ordered the police to present the family by June 11.
As the police failed to do so, the deadline was extended to July 7.
A police investigation was initiated, with seven teams being formed to review CCTV footage and other evidence. It was then that they discovered the accused had kidnapped and confined the family.
On June 27, police found Hansraj and his family, and rescued them from Pawan’s house, Express reported.
Captain Singh’s role
According to DCP Saad Miya Khan, the pilot was the mastermind behind the kidnapping. Captain Puttan Singh had lured the family on June 6 with the promise of taking them to a better hospital.
Instead, they were held captive near Dayanatpur.
“The flight captain, who is the mastermind of this case, abducted the three on June 6 on the pretext of taking them to another hospital for better treatment. The three were held hostage in a secluded enclosure outside Dayanatpur village. The accused had conspired to kidnap them to cause hindrance and disorder in the relocation policy of the Noida International Airport,” the DCP said.
The kidnapping was meant to create disruption and chaos in the relocation process for Jewar Airport project.
Police are investigating why Captain Singh had got involved.
An FIR has been registered against him and four others at Jewar police station under charges of kidnapping with intent to murder.
