Mumbai Crime: Businessman kidnapped and starved for 9 days over unpaid loan

The Bhayander police have arrested seven people for kidnapping a garment businessman and confining him to a warehouse for nine days after he failed to pay back the Rs 12 lakh he owed one of them, his business associate

The Bhayander police have arrested seven people for kidnapping a garment businessman and confining him to a warehouse for nine days after he failed to pay back the Rs 12 lakh he owed one of them, his business associate. The associate allegedly kept him without food and water the whole time and brutally assaulted him. The businessman was rescued on Sunday night.

The seven accused in custody

Police sources said Jitendra Joshi, 32, a resident of Bhayander West, was taken away in a car from outside his apartment in Padmavati Nagar around 11.45 pm on September 27. A complaint was then registered at Bhayander police station.

The victim, Jitendra Joshi. Pics/Hanif Patel

The local crime branch team, led by senior inspector Venkat Andhale, API Pramod Badhak and sub-inspector Bhupendra Telor, launched a parallel probe in the matter. They received some information on the accused's whereabouts, after which they raided a warehouse near Bhiwandi Sonale village and arrested the seven.

Joshi's business associate, identified as Gajanan Raghu Harad, 32, is a textile businessman and stays in Bhiwandi. He'd made the plan to recover his dues from the victim and took the help of six men in committing the crime. They have been identified as Avdhoot Sunil Shelar, 27, Anil Yadav, 38, Yatish Mahadev Desai, 28, Mayuresh Sunil Mhatre, 28, Varun Dilip Agarwal, 32, and Prathmesh Harishchandra Walavkar, 27.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Thane district) Prashant Kadam said, "Because it was a serious case, we put all our possible resources on it. And after we got a crucial lead, we formed a team that raided the warehouse and arrested the accused, rescuing the businessman."

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