Kidnapping of businessman: 35-year-old held hostage in his Merc for one-and-a-half hours

Harpreet was kidnapped in his Mercedes from outside the BodyZone gym at Sector 9 and he was made to drive first to Sector 8, then to Sukhna Lake, and from there to Sohana on Landra road in Mohali before turning around towards Chandigarh.

The victim’s Mercedes at Industrial Area police station on Thursday (Express Photo/Jaipal Singh)

The three men, who kidnapped Harpreet Singh, the 35-year-old son of Gurdev Singh, the owner of Gurdev Studio-17, held him hostage in his new white Mercedes for nearly one-and-a-half hours, making him drive to Sukhna Lake and then Mohali, before they arrived at Elante Mall in the same vehicle to collect the ransom.

Harpreet was kidnapped in his Mercedes from outside the BodyZone gym at Sector 9 and he was made to drive first to Sector 8, then to Sukhna Lake, and from there to Sohana on Landra road in Mohali before turning around towards Chandigarh.

“The kidnappers did not hurt Harpreet and even became friendly with him during the ride,” said a police officer. During the ride, they asked Harpreet to call anyone known to him who could give them Rs 2 crore. Harpreet’s cousin Jaskaran arranged a ransom of Rs 3 lakh. “They did not take any of this other belongings, including his expensive smartphone,” said the police officer, adding that the kidnappers had evidently conducted a recce of the area earlier because they even asked Harpeet why he did not show up at the gym on Tuesday.

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On Thursday, the day after his ordeal, Harpreet, a resident of Sector 10, refused to speak to the media. He was kidnapped from the Sector 9 parking lot around 8.15 pm on Wednesday and dropped near Gate 3 of the Elante Mall around 9.50 pm. Later, the robbers, fled in an auto, abandoning the Mercedes near Goel Enterprises at Phase-2, Industrial Area, located near the Kali Bari light point, at 10.15 pm.

The three men were dressed in jeans and shirts and one of them had a pistol. They made Harpreet drive his remote-operated Mercedes towards Sohana, and on the return journey, one of the kidnappers took the driving seat. As the vehicle stopped near Gate 3 of Elante Mall, police sources said the alertness of Harpreet foiled his kidnappers’ bid to drive away in his Mercedes. The businessman took away the key, which also functions as remote control for the car, when the men stepped out to collect the Rs 3 lakh from Jaskaran.

Inspector Z D Khan, SHO of PS Industrial Area, said, “The Mercedes can move only a few kilometres without the key and it starts slowing down automatically. That is why they had to abandon it.”

A security guard of Goel Enterprises, Om Parkash, saw them get off the Mercedes and take an auto. Sources said in his statement to the police, Harpreet said, “The men first asked me to arrange Rs 2 crore and allowed me to talk with my friends for this.” He told them that he could not arrange such a huge amount. Harpreet then contacted Jaskaran and asked him to arrange for Rs 3 lakh immediately and wait for him at the rear of the Elante Mall without telling him about his situation.

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Sources said, “Near Gate 3, as the robbers were taking money from Jaskaran, Harpreet, sitting on the co-passenger’s seat, took the key of the Mercedes, from the dashboard, got off and ran inside the Elante Mall.”

Jaskaran informed the Police Control Room about the crime. Police said initially, Harpeet was not willing to come out of the mall. Finally, he came out only when he was assured that the police had arrived.

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