Man abducted, thrashed as dispute over ‘stolen’ flat escalates | Mumbai news
MUMBAI: A property dispute that first turned into a case of forgery has now turned into one of kidnap. A 36-year-old man was grabbed from a main road in Borivali, held against his will, beaten and threatened, after he registered a case of forgery and cheating against his uncle in March. The uncle has been charged with forging documents to sell a flat in Charkop that belonged to his nephew.
On Friday, the nephew was on his way to the Dindoshi sessions court, where his uncle was due to appear at an anticipatory bail hearing, when he was grabbed off his scooter and taken to Vasai. There, his uncle and about seven aides allegedly threatened and beat him, demanding that he withdraw the case relating to the flat.
When he agreed, they added a further demand: They wanted a ransom of ₹5 lakh. It was only when the men took him along to collect part of the ransom from the victim’s wife that the man was able to free himself, shout for help, and end his ordeal. One of the men who allegedly aided in the kidnap was also arrested at this time.
“We have registered a case based on his complaint,” said an officer with the Dahisar police, adding that the victim lives in Mira Road. The flat in contention was in Charkop, the officer added. The victim, his uncle and his cousin all owned flats in the same building there.
The kidnap attempt has its roots in a disagreement between the uncle and nephew several years ago. “In 2017, the uncle began demanding that the victim, who owed him money, hand over his three-bedroom flat in lieu of loan payments,” the police officer said. “The complainant refused, and the uncle fought with him repeatedly over this. Then, in 2017, the uncle alleged that his nephew had sexually assaulted his minor daughter, and registered a case against him at the Charkop police station.”
The nephew was jailed in 2017 as a result of these charges, which were filed under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences or POCSO Act, 2012.
In November 2023, the nephew was granted bail, and emerged from jail to find that his uncle had allegedly forged documents and sold his flat while he was being held.
Determined to get his flat back and clear his name, the aggrieved nephew began to gather evidence. “In March this year, armed with certain pieces of evidence, he registered a case against the uncle and his accomplices,” the police officer said.
On Friday, as he was on his way to his uncle’s anticipatory bail hearing in this case, a car stopped near him and he was dragged off his scooter, police said. In Vasai, he stepped out of the car to see his uncle present too, the officer added.
Desperate to get away, he agreed to withdraw the case and called his wife, to relay their demand for the money. She arranged for ₹1.5 lakh, all she could manage at short notice, and agreed to bring it to an agreed-upon location in Dahisar. When the car carrying the uncle, his aides and the victim reached that point, the victim exited the vehicle and began shouting for help. A crowd gathered and one of the alleged kidnappers, a 19-year-old resident of Vasai, was held until the police arrived. The other seven men allegedly involved escaped.
A case has been registered against eight people, including the uncle, under Sections 308 (extortion), 126 (wrongful restraint), 61 (criminal conspiracy), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 117 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 137 (kidnapping) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. A search is underway for the uncle and the other attackers.
