Cops rescue youth from Mathura after gunfight with kidnappers

A 24-year-old city youth who was tricked and kidnapped for ransom was rescued by a Delhi Police team from Mathura following an exchange of fire with the abductors.

The abductors, however, managed to escape under the cover of thick vegetation in the rural region.

Police have not been able to identify the kidnappers yet. The help of local police in Mathura is being taken to identify and nab them.

The local police there had also helped in the search and rescue operation, Delhi Police said on Wednesday.

The victim Ankit Sharma is the son of a Rohini-based businessman. He had recently been contacted by an unknown person who claimed to be a farmer based in Mathura.

The caller told him that he had discovered a brick of gold in his agricultural field and needed someone’s assistance to make a benefit from the find.

The caller even sent him a photograph of a gold brick to convince him of his story.Ankit believed the story to be true and decided to make a quick profit without realising that he was walking into a trap, said police.

“He did not choose to inform his parents about his plans to visit Mathura, but had mentioned to his friends that he would soon be making a huge profit out of a gold brick,” said police.

Police had a fair idea of where to look for Ankit when his father on Wednesday received a call asking him to pay Rs 10 lakh for his son’s release.

The local police helped by informing the Delhi team that it could be the handiwork of Tatloo gang in Mathura’s Bishambra district.

A few hours of search operation of the village and the nearby areas led police to the abductors and the victim.

They were located in a small forested area beyond the village’s agricultural field.“Upon realising that they were outnumbered, the abductors began firing at the police team. They fired 25-30 rounds at the police party who retaliated with gunfire,” said police.

The abductors finally let go of Ankit and fled from the spot by taking cover of the thick vegetation in the region. Ankit was found unhurt.