The cop who became a kidnapper: The ransom case shaking India

A Delhi police cyber cell officer, Mueen Ali, has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a street vendor near the Red Fort and demanding a ransom. Ali was arrested along with another suspect after a police ambush. The victim was released unharmed. The background includes a prior conflict and the officer's gambling debts.

A Delhi police cyber cell officer, Mueen Ali, has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a street vendor named Ravi Dubey near the Red Fort and demanding a ransom for his release. Ali was arrested along with another suspect, Akhtar, after police set up an ambush near New Delhi railway station, following negotiations between the kidnappers and the victim's friend, Arjun Yadav. The victim was kidnapped in the early hours of Sunday after being lured away from a food stall. The kidnappers initially demanded 150,000 rupees (about $1,800), later reduced to 60,000 rupees (about $720). Dubey was found safe at the home of an accomplice in Gurugram. Ali has been suspended from duty and sent to jail. The investigation suggests the kidnapping may have been motivated by a prior conflict between one of the suspects and the victim, as well as the officer's financial distress, having accumulated debts of about 2 million rupees (about $24,000) due to gambling. Investigators are still searching for two additional suspects.