The doctor with the team that rescued him. (Source: Express Archive)
In a joint operation with the Uttar Pradesh Police, the Delhi Police on Friday nabbed two brothers identified as the prime conspirators in the alleged abduction of a 29-year-old doctor from Preet Vihar on July 6. The doctor had been abducted by a cab driver on his first duty for Ola, and was rescued after two weeks in captivity.
Friday’s arrests came after a tense gunfight between the two police teams and the accused, who had been hiding at a Meerut farm. Police sources told The Indian Express that the two brothers, Sushil Motla and Anuj Motla, were “disgruntled” after they were allegedly suspended from Ola for “cheating” the company by making fake claims about the number of customers they ferried. Police sources said they wanted to take revenge, so they hatched a plan that would paint the company in a poor light, and also help them make money. After the kidnapping, the men had demanded Rs 5 crore ransom from “the Ola CEO”.
Joint Commissioner of Police (eastern range) Ravindra Yadav confirmed the arrests and said the accused have been brought to Delhi, where they are being interrogated. A cash reward of Rs 50,000 was declared for their arrest on Thursday. Four of their co-accused had been arrested on July 19 — the same day the doctor was rescued.
According to police, a tip-off was received on August 3 regarding the movement of the duo in parts of western UP. A team was constituted and the UP special task force also reached the spot. Around 5.30 am, the police teams approached the accused at Nangli Gate area. They opened fire at the police teams, but no one sustained injuries. Two country-made pistols were recovered from their possession.
Police said that during interrogation, they admitted that they hid in the homes of their relatives and friends in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh. When they ran out of money, they came to Meerut after requesting financial aid from a friend. Police said their licences had been suspended a year ago, when they used to live in Ghaziabad.
“But since they were aware about the process of verification with Ola, they hatched a conspiracy and procured forged documents needed for verification,” said an officer. Each document, including bank cheques and voter ID of the drivers, was forged. They had a watertight plan, so their identity would not be exposed, police said. The doctor, Akkala Srikanth Goud, was picked by the driver at 11.38 pm on July 6 from near Preet Vihar Metro station and forcibly taken to western UP.
