Car rental co accused of kidnap, abuse of minors, extortion

Lucknow: A travel and car rental agency operating in Chinhat area of the city came under serious allegations after families accused the company and its associates of luring minors through cheap deals advertised on social media, renting vehicles to them on forged identity documents and later extorting money through intimidation and assault. FIR was registered at the BBD Police Station late Saturday night.According to the FIR, the alleged modus operandi involved minors being offered low-cost rental vehicles without drivers after online contact through social media platforms. Families claimed the vehicles were provided on the basis of fake Aadhaar cards and other forged documents, in violation of provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.The FIR stated that once booking was made, the minors were confronted by a group of men who kidnapped them, assaulted them and demanded money. The incident occurred allegedly on Mar 6, when unidentified persons arrived in an SUV and kidnapped the minors before taking them to the premises of the company that booked the SUV.The complaint stated that two SUVs bearing registration numbers of Haryana arrived and two minors, aged 16 and 17, were kidnapped in Jankipuram Extension. The complaint claimed that around 10–11 persons were involved in the incident.Families alleged that the minors were beaten, their clothes were removed and obscene acts were carried out, with an attempt at sexual assault. According to the FIR, the accused allegedly robbed the children of their mobile phone, wristwatch and about Rs 5,000 cash. Families also alleged that obscene videos were recorded during the assault, and the minors were threatened that the clips would be made viral if money was not paid.The FIR named Rohit, Shivam, Sunny Singh, Prajjwal Singh, Himanshu, Amit, Saurabh Singh and Rishabh, along with several unidentified persons. The complaint said the group used illegal weapons and sharp-edged objects, issued death threats, used expletives, attempted unnatural acts and even tried to cause grievous harm.Family members claimed that during their own inquiry, they found several cases were already registered against persons associated with the company. They also alleged that in a previous incident, five minors were kidnapped and severely beaten, sustaining serious injuries.Additional DCP, East Zone, Amol Murkut, told TOI that a probe was being conducted into how SUV of the company was booked online by minors. "We are working on the case from every angle," he said. Police registered FIR against the named accused of the travel company under charges of kidnapping, wrongful restraint, rioting, causing grievous injury and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.Police sources, however, said they got CCTV footage and the incident appeared to be fallout of a road accident involving the SUV allegedly booked by the minors.