Actor Mushtaq escapes gunpoint abduction, 2 detained

Veteran actor Mushtaq Mohammad Khan narrowly escaped a harrowing kidnapping and extortion plot, raising concerns about the safety of performers across the country.

- HT Correspondent

MEERUT:

The police have identified the gang involved and taken two suspects into custody for interrogation.

The perpetrators, posing as an event management company, targeted Khan by inviting him to perform at an event honouring senior citizens in Bijnor. On November 20, Khan arrived at Delhi airport, where he was picked up by a cab. During the journey, the cab driver switched vehicles, and two other men joined, holding him at gunpoint and taking him to a house in Bijnor's Chahshiri locality.

Confined overnight, Khan escaped early the next morning and sought refuge in a local mosque. He contacted his son using a borrowed phone, leading to his rescue by relatives and friends from Delhi and Ghaziabad. During his captivity, the gang extorted Rs 2 lakh from his son's account by coercing him into revealing his bank details.