UPSC Coach Kidnapping: Aspirant's Elaborate Ruse to Extort ₹1.89 Crore Uncovered
UPSC coach kidnapping: Failed aspirant staged ‘murder’ to extort Rs 1.89 crore
The Indian Express
Image: The Indian Express
Priyank Sharma, a failed UPSC aspirant, orchestrated a kidnapping scheme to extort ₹1.89 crore (approximately $228,000 USD) from Shubra Ranjan, a coaching center director. After his own center shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sharma planned the crime meticulously, involving several accomplices and staging a fake murder scene in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
- 01Priyank Sharma, the main accused, devised the kidnapping plot after his coaching center failed during COVID-19.
- 02Sharma lured Shubra Ranjan to Bhopal under the guise of a business proposal.
- 03The kidnapping involved staging a fake murder scene to intimidate the victims.
- 04Sharma and his associates forced the victims to transfer ₹1.89 crore in three installments.
- 05Police secured the funds and arrested Sharma after he attempted to evade capture.
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In a shocking case of kidnapping for ransom, Priyank Sharma, a failed UPSC aspirant, plotted to extort ₹1.89 crore (approximately $228,000 USD) from Shubra Ranjan, the director of a UPSC coaching center. After his own coaching center shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sharma devised a plan to recover his financial losses. He contacted Ranjan in Delhi, presenting a seemingly legitimate business proposal that lured her to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Once in Bhopal, Sharma and his associates executed a meticulously planned kidnapping. They rented a flat in the Bagsewaniya area and staged a fake murder scene involving an accomplice who pretended to be dead. Over four hours, Ranjan and her associates were threatened at gunpoint and coerced into transferring funds into two accounts. The police acted swiftly upon receiving a complaint, freezing the accounts and securing the extorted money. Sharma attempted to flee and even admitted himself to a hospital to evade arrest but was apprehended by police after confirmation of his fitness for custody. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and the network involved.
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This incident raises concerns about the safety of business professionals and the effectiveness of law enforcement in preventing such crimes.
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