Debt-ridden property dealers abduct two bizmen for ₹2 crore ransom, held

Two debt-ridden property dealers, including the son of an ex-Indian Air Force airman, have been arrested by the crime branch for allegedly holding two businessmen captive and demanding ₹2 crore as ransom for their release, police said on Wednesday.

The businessmen were held captive at a hotel in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh. One of them escaped from the clutches of the kidnappers on the excuse of arranging the ransom amount. When he failed to arrange such a huge amount, the businessman approached the police and sought their help in rescuing his kidnapped business partner. The police raided the hotel on Tuesday night, rescued the businessman and arrested the kidnappers.

The arrested men were identified as Manjeet Singh Grewal and Vijay Kumar. Vijay’s father had retired as an airman from the Indian Air Force, said DCP (crime) Madhur Verma. The two have been in the property business for the last 15-20 years. They had suffered huge losses in business in the last four-five years and were under huge debt.

“The two were fond of lavish lifestyle, but due to money crisis, they were facing acute problems in fulfilling their daily needs. To overcome their financial restraints, they planned to abduct the complainant. They were aware about the sound financial position of the complainant and were sure that he would shell out the ransom amount without involving police,” said Verma.

On March 28, a Haryanabased businessman approached Crime Branch with a complaint that his fellow businessman was being held captive by the two accused. The complainant, who is engaged in road construction business, knew Grewal through a common friend. For the last few days, Grewal was contacting him for helping him in getting a road tender in National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Relying on Grewal, the complainant along with his partner came to Delhi, and met Grewal and his associate Vijay. The two brought the businessmen duo to a hotel on the pretext of meeting with an officer of NHAI. The two then held them captive and demanded ₹2 crore as ransom and threatened them, said police.

“The complainant requested the kidnappers that if they release him, he would bring the ransom amount. He was released with the threat that if he does anything untoward, his partner would be killed,” said an investigator adding the complainant approached them after he failed to arrange the ransom

A team was formed and the hotel was raided. The two were nabbed after a brief scuffle. The businessman was also rescued. A revolver with eleven cartridges, made in ordinance factory, Kanpur and issued in the name of Grewal’s brother-inlaw Sunil were recovered along with a car.

The objective behind a cleaner fuel technology would not be achieved if older vehicles continue to flood the market, said Epca, a Supreme Court-appointed autonomous body that advises government on ecological issues.

The court also rejected the Centre’s argument that the BS-IV rollout only banned manufacturing and not the sale of the BS-III vehicles.

The biggest difference between the two is the emission of carbon particulate matter, a major air pollutant. While BS-III vehicles emit 2.30gm of carbon monoxide per kg of fuel, the emission drops to 1gm per kg in BS-IV vehicles.

Transition to BS-IV could lead to a substantial drop in particulate matter emissions. For instance, new trucks could see an 80% drop in emissions and cars by 50%, Epca told the court.

Similarly, hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions — a big concern for two-wheelers — could drop between 41 and 80%, depending on the engine size, it said.

The norms have to be followed by auto makers as well as fuel companies. The solicitor general told the court that BS-IV fuel would be available across India from April 1.

Industry would abide by the order, the Society of Indian

The committee on content regulation of government advertising (CCRGA) forwarded its report to the Delhi chief secretary on September 19.

The committee, set up on the directions of the Supreme Court, had acted on a complaint of Congress leader Ajay Maken.

The Supreme Court on May 13, 2015 ruled that government ads would only carry photographs of the president, the prime minister and the Chief Justice of India. It barred ruling parties from putting pictures of their leaders in ads publicising welfare schemes.

Most of the advertisements in question came out after the ruling.

The Delhi government has also fallen foul of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the same issue. Earlier this month, the national auditor said the government spent Rs 29 crore in releasing advertisements outside Delhi, which was “beyond” its responsibility.

The CAG report, tabled in Delhi assembly on March 10, said another Rs 24 crore-worth of ads released by the government violated SC regulations.

The government rejected the report, with Kejriwal accusing the CAG of acting at the behest of the BJP.