UP Police Arrests Prime Suspect In Comedian Sunil Pal And Actor Mushtaq Mohammed Khan's Abduction Case After Encounter

On Monday (23 December), authorities in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh reported the arrest of the primary suspect, Lavi Pal, in the kidnapping case of comedian Sunil Pal and actor Mushtaq Mohammed Khan.

A late-night confrontation on Sunday led to the arrest. However, prime suspect's accomplice, Himanshu, successfully evaded capture amidst the exchange of gunfire.

Lavi Pal, who had a bounty of Rs 25,000 on him, had been evading arrest since he was charged by the Meerut and Bijnor police for the kidnapping and ransom of Mushtaq Khan on November 20 and Sunil Pal on 2 December.

The authorities reported receiving a tip-off that the primary suspect and his partner were planning to rendezvous with a friend in Bijnor's Mandawar region on Sunday evening.

They set up a sting operation and identified Lavi and his partner in the vicinity. The suspects initiated a shootout when the police ordered them to halt, Indian Express reported.

The police retaliated, striking Lavi Pal in his right leg. His partner, however, managed to evade capture, prompting an ongoing search operation to apprehend him.

“A special team of Bijnor police has arrested Lavi Pal after an encounter in which he was injured and now is admitted to the Bijnor district hospital under police custody," Sanjeev Bajpai, Bijnor Superintendent of Police (SP) said.

A country-made pistol and cartridges along with Rs 35,000 were recovered from Pal's possession. Bajpai stated that Lavi Pal, along with others, will face charges under the Gangster Act and his property is set to be seized.

"Six gang members have already been arrested by the Meerut and the Bijnor police and cash worth over Rs 4 lakh has been recovered from arrested gang members so far," the SP added.