Mumbai: Four days after stand-up comedian Sunil Pal’s mysterious disappearance and subsequent reappearance, the Santacruz police registered an FIR of kidnapping and abduction against four to five unknown persons on Friday. The case was transferred to Lal Kurti police station in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, in whose jurisdiction the offence is alleged to have occurred.
On Tuesday, Pal’s wife approached the Santacruz police station to report her husband missing. She said Pal left for Haridwar to perform at an event but lost contact with her. She also told the police about Pal’s friends received messages asking for money. Later the same night, the police were able to touch base with Pal over the phone. He said he was boarding a flight to Mumbai from Delhi. He reached the city on Wednesday and as a result, no police complaint was lodged. Pal recorded his statement with the Santacruz police thereafter.
Pal told the police that a car was to pick him up and take him to the event at Haridwar, but the vehicle left him at a dhaba where he was bundled into another vehicle. He was then blindfolded and driven to a location where he was allegedly confined.
Pal claimed the abductors were demanding a ransom of Rs 20 lakh for his release. He was threatened with dire consequences if he failed to pay up. When Pal told them that he was not carrying that kind of money, the abductors told him to make arrangements through his friends. Pal claimed he paid Rs 7.5 lakh to the abductors, after which he was dropped back in a car to Meerut. He then reached Delhi and returned to Mumbai by flight.
After returning to Mumbai, Pal told TV news channels, “I did not want anyone — not even my family — to find out about my abduction. It was only after my wife visited the Santacruz police station that everyone learnt of it.”
