Kidnappers of actor Mushtaq Khan also planned to abduct Shakti Kapoor, say UP cops
Bijnor/Meerut (UP) (PTI): Four members of a gang have been arrested for kidnapping actor Mushtaq Mohammad Khan from the Delhi airport, holding him hostage in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh and demanding ransom, officials said.
According to police, the miscreants were also plotting to abduct veteran actor Shakti Kapoor on the pretext of inviting him to an event.
Bijnor Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha shared the details on Saturday, saying that Mushtaq Khan's event manager, Shivam Yadav, had filed a complaint on December 9.
According to the complaint, Lavi alias Rahul Saini had on October 15 sent an advance payment of Rs 25,000 and an air ticket to invite Khan to an event in Meerut. Upon arriving at the Delhi airport on November 20, Mushtaq was received by a cab driver who took him to a famous 'shikanji' shop between Meerut and Delhi.
There, Khan was forced into another vehicle, where more individuals joined him. The actor was then threatened and informed that he had been kidnapped and was being held captive at the home of Lavi, a criminal involved in the case, police said.
"During his captivity, the kidnappers took Mushtaq Khan's bank account details and password. On the night of November 20, the accused consumed alcohol and slept. The following morning, Mushtaq Khan managed to escape and reached a mosque in Mohalla Chahshiri, where locals contacted his family and helped him return home.
"On November 21, the kidnappers withdrew Rs 2.2 lakh from Mushtaq Khan's bank account while shopping in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar," the officer said.
The arrested gang members have been identified as Sarthak Chaudhary, Sabiuddin, Azim, and Shashank. Police have also recovered Rs 1.04 lakh from their possession.
Police revealed that the gang was involved in abducting film stars by sending advance payments and air tickets under the guise of event invitations.
The investigation has also revealed that actor Shakti Kapoor was offered Rs 5 lakh to attend a similar event, but the deal fell through due to a high advance request.
Police are now investigating whether the gang was involved in the kidnapping of other film stars.
Efforts are on to track down the remaining members of the gang, including Lavi.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Arjun, one of the kidnappers involved in comedian Sunil Pal's abduction, was shot and injured during an encounter with police in Meerut on Sunday.
Arjun, who was arrested on Saturday, attempted to escape while being escorted for a medical checkup at Lalkurti police station by snatching the pistol of a sub-inspector, the Meerut police said.
Arjun, while trying to flee, opened fire indiscriminately at the police team. The police team retaliated, and Arjun was shot and injured in the exchange of fire.
Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada said that police had recovered from Arjun an SUV, a Scorpio, used in Sunil Pal's kidnapping last month, along with Rs 2.25 lakh cash and a mobile phone used in the crime.
"Arjun was immediately taken to the hospital in an injured condition. Police are now searching for his associates, as they believe the gang involved in the kidnapping is based in Bijnor. Authorities have also contacted the victim for further statements and are continuing their investigation into the case," the SSP said.
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Pope Leo XIV calls for aid to reach Gaza and an end to hostilities in his first general audience
Vatican City (AP): Pope Leo XIV called for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip and for an end to the “heartbreaking” toll on its people, as he presided over his first general audience in St. Peter's Square.
The Vatican said that around 40,000 people were on hand for the audience, which came just days after an estimated 200,000 people attended the inaugural Mass on Sunday for history's first American pope.
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, began the audience with a tour through the piazza in the popemobile and stopped to bless several babies. In addressing specific greetings to different groups of pilgrims, Leo spoke in his native English, his fluent Spanish as well as the traditional Italian of the papacy.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entrance of dignified humanitarian aid to Gaza and to put an end to the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is being paid by children, the elderly, and sick people,” he said.
The general audience on Wednesdays is a weekly appointment that popes have kept for decades to allow ordinary faithful to have a face-to-face encounter with the pontiff. It features the pope delivering a brief reflection on a theme or Scripture passage, with summaries provided by others in different languages and the pope directing specific messages to particular faith groups.
The encounter, which lasts more than an hour, usually ends with a brief topical appeal by the pope about a current issue or upcoming event. Leo began it with his now-frequent mantra “Peace be with you.”
To that end, Leo on Tuesday reaffirmed the Vatican's willingness to host the next round of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine during a phone call with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, the Italian leader's office said.
Meloni made the call after speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump and other European leaders, who asked her to verify the Holy See's offer.
“Finding in the Holy Father the confirmation of the willingness to welcome the next talks between the parties, the premier expressed profound gratitude for Pope Leo XIV's willingness and his incessant commitment in favor of peace,” Meloni's office said in a statement late Tuesday.
Trump had referred to the Vatican's longstanding offer to host talks in reporting on his phone call Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While low-level talks could take place in Rome, Italy would be hard-pressed to allow Putin to fly into Rome for any higher-level negotiation. Putin is subject to an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, of which Italy is a founding member and therefore obliged to execute its warrants.
