Sunil Pal's kidnappers go shopping; buy jewelry with ransom money
What's the story
Comedian Sunil Pal, who was kidnapped in Delhi on December 2, has been making headlines.
The kidnappers reportedly lured him to Haridwar in the name of an event before abducting him and demanding ₹20 lakh ransom.
Though they initially demanded ₹20 lakh, Pal negotiated the amount down to ₹8L and got released.
Now, recently surfaced CCTV footage shows two men—believed to be kidnappers—buying jewelry with the ransom money.
Ransom expenditure
Kidnappers splurged ransom money
The CCTV footage reveals the two men spent a huge chunk of the ransom money on jewelry.
They allegedly bought ₹4 lakh worth of jewelry from a Sadar Bazar store in Meerut and spent another ₹2.25 lakh at another store in the Lal Kurti area.
Strangely, they asked for the bills to be made under Pal's name. This bizarre request has raised eyebrows and added another twist to this already complicated case.
Investigation update
Mumbai Police froze bank accounts, booked suspects
In light of these developments, the Mumbai Police have frozen the bank accounts of both jewelers involved in the transactions.
Five to six men have also been booked in connection with Pal's kidnapping.
The police are now analyzing the CCTV footage for more clues that may help them.
Notably, the case unfolded when Pal's wife reported him missing on December 3. He later returned home on December 4, revealing that he had been kidnapped.
Ordeal details
Pal declined police protection, shared ordeal details
Speaking to Times Now/Telly Talk India, Pal refused police protection and said he has faith in the investigation.
He said the kidnappers had his mobile phone for 24 hours and transferred all his data—contact numbers of his wife, family members, and some celebrities—into their device.
"They threatened me saying that they have all my personal details and said, 'Don't do anything foolish because you know we can do anything.' They were very clever."
Threats
'My wife is scared, this is a criminal case...'
Pal further revealed the kidnappers verbally abused him and physically assaulted him.
"They said they would give me a poisonous injection if I didn't give them the money. They blindfolded me but I could sense that there were 5-6 heavy built men in front of me."
"My wife is scared, this is a criminal case. These kidnappers verbally abused me a lot. Thoda dhakka mukki bhi kiya, bhot gaali diya (They pushed and hit me, hurled abuses)."