UP: Punjab Ex-Cop's Dramatic Rescue After Wife Tricks Kidnappers Via UPI To Get Location

In a dramatic six-hour rescue operation, a retired Punjab police officer was saved after being kidnapped in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, when his wife transferred Rs 1.5 lakh via UPI and secured the kidnappers' location under the pretext of arranging further payment. On September 2, Darshan Singh, 55, a former assistant sub-inspector, was en route to a gurdwara when he was abducted near the Lal Phatak bridge in Bareilly. Singh had accepted a lift from a group of six men traveling in a van and on a motorcycle. They soon revealed their true intentions, robbing him of his watch and Rs 64,000 before dragging him into a forested area near Kandharpur.

The gang then used Singh's mobile phone to make ransom demands through video calls. His wife, under immense pressure, transferred Rs 1.5 lakh in four UPI installments. But when the kidnappers pressed for an additional Rs 1.5 lakh, she turned the tables.

Wife Uses UPI Trick to Get Location

"I told them I needed their location to send more money, and they shared it," Singh's wife revealed. Her name has been withheld by the police for security reasons, as four suspects remain on the run. She immediately forwarded the details to Singh's brother, Balwind, who had rushed to Bareilly.

Balwind promptly informed the police, who tracked the suspects' movements along the Babhiya–Umarsia road using advanced surveillance. Bareilly Cantt police launched a swift operation and successfully rescued Singh. Two accused Akash Kumar (23), a painter from Shergarh, and Virendra Pal (22), a coconut water vendor were arrested at the spot, and a motorcycle used in the crime was seized.

“The kidnappers assumed WhatsApp and video calls couldn't be tracked, but we used that very mistake to locate them,” SP City Bareilly Manush Pareek said.

Meanwhile, four others - Devraj alias Sonu, Rahul, Manoj Sahu, and Abhishek alias Puchchi - are still on the run. A case has been registered, and investigations are continuing.

MENAFN05092025007385015968ID1110020694