DRDO Scientist Kidnapped And Held Hostage In Noida, He Had Gone To Take Massage

A 35-year-old scientist who police said is associated with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)? was honey-trapped, kidnapped and held hostage for almost 24 hours. The scientist was kidnapped at a OYO hotel by a gang of five demanding a ransom of ?10 lakh.

Twitter (UP Police)

?The junior scientist was rescued on Sunday evening from a hotel room in Noida and three people, including a woman, have been arrested so far, said police.

But how did the scientist end up at a OYO hotel?

The scientist, a resident of?Supertech Capetown in Noida's Sector 74, unwittingly contacted?Sunita Gurjar and her aides while searching for a massage parlour in the vicinity, police said.?When he dialled the number, a man on the other side allegedly asked to come to Logix City Centre.?

On Saturday evening, the scientist reached Logix in his Honda City, parked the car and was taken to Kunal Residency (OYO) in Sector 41. The gang of five overpowered him there, locked him in a room before making the ransom call to his wife, said police.?

The scientists had left home around 5:30 pm at the pretext of buying household items. It was around 11 pm where his wife got the first ransom call. A series of calls followed, threatening her against going to the police. After failing to arrange for the ransom money of ?10 lakh for almost 14 hours, she went to the cops.

How was the scientist traced?

The cops traced the scientist's phone to Agahpur in Sector 41 and zeroed down on the hotel building. The cops laid a trap and sent the scientist's wife with a bag containing cash to the hotel. While two members of the gang managed to flee, one Deepak was caught who took the police to the room where the scientist was taken hostage.

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The other two members,?Rakesh, the manager of the hotel and resident of Bhiwani, Haryana and?Sunita Gurjar, the lone woman in the gang of five who boasts of 'high-profile' on Facebook, were arrested from the hotel. The woman claims to be a relative of?Noida-based former participant of Bigg Boss and claims to be linked to a political party, but there is no confirmation about it yet, the police said.??

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Police said the gang had abducted three people in the past 2-3 months with a similar modus operandi. As per the police, they had taken the hotel on a monthly rent of ?1.4 lakh and now a thorough verification drive of hotels managed by OYO would begin in the wake of such criminal incidents that have taken place at OYO properties.?

Cops are also probing a possible connection with Sonu Punjaban gang, whose three members were arrested earlier this month. The police said the gang target affluent people who were unlikely to contact the police in the fear of being caught of availing?solicited “massage parlour” services.