2 held after gunfight for kidnap bid on bizman

Ghaziabad: Two men were arrested, following a brief gunfight on Thursday, for allegedly trying to kidnap a businessman in Modinagar a day ago. Police had set up a few check posts on Thursday after getting a tip-off. “Three people on a bike were coming towards Modinagar. When asked to slow down, they took a sharp turn and opened fire,” said an official. Bijendra (24) and Vikas (21), both residents of Modinagar, were nabbed after Bijendra received a bullet injury in his leg and the bike fell on the road. Gajendra, Bijendra’s younger brother, fled.On Wednesday, Achal Singhal, a resident of Santpura village, was on his way to his shop, when three men had tailed his car and allegedly tried to kidnap him 300 metres from his shop in Modinagar. The businessman jumped from a car trunk to escape, police said. “The three men had come in a white Wagon R and intercepted the businessman. One of them threw him into the boot of the car with the help of another. They allegedly had a pistol,” said Gyan Prakash Rai, ACP of Modinagar.During interrogation, Bijendra told the police that three years ago, Gajendra had been working in a carton (box) manufacturing unit in Meerut when their father expired. Two months ago, the duo stole iron rods from the factory, which was found out through CCTV footage, and Gajendra was fired. “They had taken a loan of Rs 1.26 lakh for their sister’s marriage and were yet to pay the money back. The brothers borrowed Rs 60,000 from various people and one-and-a-half years ago, they purchased a Tata Ace (Chota Hathi) on loan. But, the car got damaged in an accident,” said ACP Rai. Menahwile, the bank started calling them for the payment of the car’s EMI. It was then that Vikas suggested they kidnap Singhal and demand Rs 5 lakh. Vikas, a BCA graduate, was employed with a company but lost his job during the pandemic. Later, he opened a small dhaba in Modinagar, and he also needed money.The three accused were booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), and 467 (forgery) of the IPC.Police recovered the Wagon R, which had a fake number plate, a black Splendor bike and a pistol from the accused's possession. “The car belongs to Anil Kumar, a resident of Baghpat. Police are trying to contact him for more information,” added ACP.