PRAYAGRAJ, NAINI: In a daring operation, police rescued 21 youths held hostage by a gang that lured unemployed individuals with false promises of jobs. The rescue took place at a house in Sarpathiya, and one gang member was arrested in the process.
During questioning at Naini Police Station, DCP Yamunanagar Vivek Chandra Yadav learned that the accused had instilled fear among the victims by narrating a fabricated story of a girl’s rape and murder in Rajasthan, threatening that a similar fate could befall them.
Additionally, the gang warned the youths that police from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan were searching for Rajasthani youths in Prayagraj, preventing them from leaving the house.
A day earlier, police had freed 26 youths from a guesthouse in ADA Colony and sent 15 accused to jail. Following that incident, locals alerted police about the Sarpathiya house, where more youths were being held captive.
One of the brave victims, Sachin Prajapati from Alwar, Rajasthan, scaled the walls with the help of his friends and informed the police about the ordeal. Acting swiftly at night, authorities raided the house and freed all 21 youths, including five from Mathura and 16 from Rajasthan.
The arrested gang member, identified as Bablu from Kotpulti, Rajasthan, was taken into custody.
The victims revealed that they had been held hostage in the house for ten days. Tearfully recounting their ordeal, youths including Ajay Kumar and Deepak Jat from Bharatpur, Pintu Sain from Dausa, and Abhishek from Jaipur stated that they were lured with promises of jobs in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs as data entry operators.
The gang had extorted ₹26,000 from each victim, along with ₹1,100 in miscellaneous charges.
Police have also started investigations in surrounding areas, as information gathered from Bablu indicated that the gang has a wider network, including operations in Lucknow, and may have held other youths hostage elsewhere.
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