A 28-year-old NRI has been jailed for 27 years for conspiracy to kidnap a fellow Indian and blackmail his father who lives in Gujarat.
Dipesh Kumar Chauhan along with his accomplices, Shujah Khaliq and Arif Aga, both aged 26, pleaded guilty during the two-week trial at Southwark Crown Court last evening, the Metropolitan Police said today. Khaliq and Aga were sentenced to 18 years each in prison.
However, police did not name the victim to protect his identity to ensure he returned safely to his family. "The victim does not come from a wealthy family. I am glad that they contacted police immediately so that we could locate the victim and ensure his safe return to the family," Dr Greg Trinder of the Kidnap Unit said.
"The evidence against these three individuals was overwhelming. It showed the thought and planning that had gone into the crime and their motive of greed. Khaliq and Aga had the sense to plead guilty but Chauhan believed he could claim the defence of duress. I am grateful the jury saw through his lies and found him guilty alongside the other two defendants.
"Kidnaps are still comparatively rare in this country. We are grateful to all those who have assisted us in our investigation," Trinder said. According to the prosecution, the victim, 24-year-old at that time, had arranged to meet his friend Dipesh Kumar Chauhan at Queensbury underground station for dinner on October 17 last year.
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