CCTV captures Sunil Pal’s abductors buying jewellery in Meerut with ransom money | File Photo
Mumbai: The abductors of comedian Sunil Pal have been captured in the CCTV footage, while buying jewellery in Meerut from the ransom money, said the Santacruz police. Pal was reportedly kidnapped on December 2 from Haridwar, while he was travelling for an event. He claimed to have been released after paying Rs 7.5 lakh. How much money was spent on buying the valuables is yet to be ascertained.
According to the police, they followed the digital trail of the money transferred to the abductors and found that the amount was received in the account of a jewellery shop in Meerut. The CCTV footage of the shop further verified the lead, said the cops, adding that the information has been shared with their Meerut counterparts.
Acting on this information, the UP cops went to the shop and learned that the accused had shared the jeweller’s account details with Pal’s friends. An officer from the Santacruz police station said, “When the victim’s wife approached us, it initially seemed like an online fraud. Based on the information she provided, we froze the bank account.”
After the abduction came to light, an FIR was registered and all the details were shared with the Meerut police. According to the UP cops, they have visited the jeweller’s shop and came to the conclusion that the shop owner has no involvement in the incident.
Initially, the Santacruz police had registered a case against five-six unidentified abductors. The matter was later transferred to the Meerut police station.
