A Delhi Police investigation into a suspected kidnapping took an unexpected turn after officers discovered that the alleged abductors were among the people who had earlier accused the victim of cheating them in a fake government job racket.
The case began on July 24 when Rajan Ranjan Mishra, a 30-year-old wholesale trader from Delhi, allegedly called his wife claiming he had been kidnapped while returning from the Allahabad High Court, where he had appeared in connection with a job fraud case in which he is the main accused.
Soon after the call, the kidnappers allegedly contacted his wife and demanded ₹1.2 crore for his release. Following their instructions, she arranged ₹80,000 in cash, placed it inside the couple’s car, hired a driver through a cab-driving service app, and had the vehicle delivered to a designated location in Dwarka. Despite the payment, the ransom calls reportedly continued.
When Mishra’s family approached Delhi Police to register a kidnapping and extortion complaint, investigators found that the suspected abductors were linked to an ongoing job scam case against him.
According to the police, Mishra allegedly lured people from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu by promising government jobs, mainly clerical posts in the Agriculture Department, in exchange for large sums of money.
Investigators said victims allegedly paid anywhere between ₹22 lakh and ₹60 lakh after being assured they had secured government employment. Some candidates were reportedly made to attend fake interviews, undergo training programmes and were even paid small amounts as “salary” to make the recruitment process appear genuine.
One of the complainants, Gajraj, is said to have sold his farmland to arrange ₹22 lakh after being promised a government job. Police said several others also invested significant amounts before realising they had been deceived. A criminal case was subsequently registered against Mishra and his wife in Mathura in 2025.
Police believe that during court proceedings earlier this year, some of the complainants came into contact with others who claimed they could help recover the lost money. Investigators allege that the group then conspired to abduct Mishra instead of waiting for the legal process to conclude.
According to the investigation, Mishra was allegedly kidnapped after leaving the Allahabad High Court and was moved through Gurugram before being taken to Mathura, where he was held captive.
A crucial breakthrough came after Delhi Police traced the driver hired to deliver the ransom vehicle. CCTV footage and mobile phone tracking helped investigators follow the suspects’ movements from Dwarka to Gurugram and eventually to Mathura.
Police later rescued Mishra from a paying guest accommodation near Radha Rani Society in Mathura. Seven people were arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping, while two other accused are still absconding.
Investigators also alleged that the suspects took away the ₹80,000 ransom amount and withdrew an additional ₹65,000 using Mishra’s ATM card before fleeing.
The case now involves parallel investigations into both the alleged fake government job scam and the subsequent kidnapping carried out by some of the complainants.
