Rajkot, July 11 – In a shocking revelation, police have uncovered a high-tech kidnapping and ransom plot involving a NEET-qualified girl and an organized gang from Bihar. The case involves the abduction of a Rajkot-based factory owner and his uncle, who were lured to Patna under the pretext of signing a business Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), only to be kidnapped and extorted for ₹30 lakh.
Mahak Chovatia, a factory owner from Padavala in Kotdasangani and a resident of Vraj Complex on Nanamava Road, Rajkot, along with his uncle Ashish Bhanderi, was invited to Patna for a business deal. Upon arrival, both were kidnapped by a gang that demanded and successfully extorted ₹30 lakh from them.
As per report, in a major breakthrough, Shapar police arrested six members of the gang from Bihar’s Beur Jail and brought them to Shapar for further interrogation. The arrested include gang leader Ranjit alias Munna Arvind Sarjuprasad (39), Vikas alias Mohit Manoj Ramvreech (25), Kundan Arun Kumar Yadav (21), Lalbihari Ugrasen Yadav (25), Bipatra Laldev Singh Haricharansingh (35), and 20-year-old Sangita Umeshprasad Mahto.
Sangita, a resident of Nalanda, initially misled the police by claiming to be illiterate. However, further investigation revealed that she had cleared the NEET exam and was highly skilled in cyber operations. She managed digital tasks for the gang, including online money transfers and other electronic activities, playing a key role in the ransom collection process.
Police also discovered that the prime accused, Ranjit, had lived in Ahmedabad for three years and is fluent in Gujarati. The same gang is suspected in another kidnapping case from the Naroda area in Ahmedabad, which is under investigation at the local police station.
The arrests were made under the supervision of Shapar Police Inspector R.B. Rana. Following the arrests, the suspects were produced for identification parade in Kotdasangani on Friday. Surprisingly, the Rajkot kidnapping victim has so far refused to file a formal complaint, adding another layer of complexity to the case.
This incident highlights the alarming rise of organized crime operated by educated youth using advanced digital tools. The police are now digging deeper into the gang’s wider network and investigating their potential involvement in other similar crimes across states.
