Land dispute: Couple, toddler held hostage for mnth rescued

Kanpur: Police rescued a couple and their 1.5-year-old daughter after they were allegedly held hostage for nearly a month in a flat in the Kalyanpur area over a land dispute worth Rs 2 crore.The family received information about their whereabouts through a Facebook message, following which police opened the flat's lock and freed all three hostages. The victim later filed a written complaint alleging serious charges against a property dealer, a businessman and their associates.
According to police, Om Gupta, a resident of Shahjahanpur, is married to Divya Gupta of Unnao district. After the death of Divya's parents, land worth about Rs 2 crore at her maternal home came into her possession. About 1.5 years ago, an acquaintance, who is a businessman, arranged a meeting between her and a property dealer from Kalyanpur regarding the sale of the land. It was alleged that the property dealer got an agreement for the sale of the land executed by paying Rs 1 lakh as advance, and no further payment was made after that. On Feb 5, the couple was allegedly lured to Vijay Nagar in Kanpur on the pretext of land-related work. Divya alleged that the property dealer and his associates arrived in five cars and took them hostage, after which they were taken to a hotel in a deserted part of the city and pressured to execute the sale deed after mutation. They were allegedly threatened with death if they refused. According to the victim, the accused later rented a flat in Kalyanpur and locked the couple and their daughter inside. Nearly a month later, Om Gupta managed to send a message to his mother through Facebook using the hotspot of the accused's mobile phone and informed her about the incident. The family then sought help from their acquaintance, Rishi, who lives in Kanpur. Police, acting on Rishi's information, got the flat's lock opened and rescued the couple and the child. Police brought all three to the police station, where the victim filed a written complaint against the property dealer, the businessman and about half a dozen of their associates. Assistant commissioner of police, Kalyanpur, Ashutosh Kumar said, "Kalyanpur police station received information through 112 that a couple were being held hostage. Police reached the spot on receiving the information and brought them safely to the police station. In the preliminary investigation, a dispute related to a land agreement/transaction came to light. A written complaint has been filed by the victim in this regard, which is being investigated, and legal action is being taken as per rules."