Property dealer’s 3-hr ‘abduction’ keeps police on toes

LUCKNOW: The city police went into a tizzy after information about the alleged abduction of a Gomti Nagar-based real estate dealer by the goons of a mafia-turned-politician from Baikaunth Dham road on Thursday afternoon.

The cops remained on their toes for at least three hours until the real estate dealer, Abhishek Srivastava, was traced outside a Gomti Nagar mall and brought to the Hazratganj police station. He, however, refused to lodge any complaint in the matter.

According to reports, the message about the alleged abduction was flashed on cops’ wireless sets after one of Abhishek’s employees, Nadeem called up the police control room and informed about the incident.

Nadeem told cops that Abhishek was forcibly taken away by a group of SUV-borne people when he was heading towards his office in Gomti Nagar via Baikaunth Dham road. He said the assailants, who allegedly pulled Abhishek out of his car, were the politician’s goons.

After getting the message, the Hazratganj and Gomti Nagar police launched a search operation to trace the SUVs and the real estate dealer. A source, however, said the cops were reluctant to call up the politician even after coming to know that his goons had taken along the real estate dealer.

“Abhishek was rescued after police approached the politician and requested for his safe release,” said a source, adding, “The real estate dealer was later found near a mall after three hours of disappearance.”

Vijay Mal Yadav, inspector of Hazratganj police station, said the information of kidnapping was wrongly flashed and the real estate agent himself had went along with some people with whom he had some monetary dispute. He said the agent’s employee felt that he had been kidnapped and called the police control room. He said Abhishek was called at the Hazratganj police station but he refused to lodge a complaint against anyone.