Pilot schemed with 4 others to kidnap a farmer’s family — to‘derail’ Noida airport project

The farmer, Hansraj, along with his wife Kamlesh Devi and elder son Saurabh, were rescued by the police from outside Dayanatpur village in Jewar.

According to police, the involvement of the five accused came to light after a writ petition was filed by the farmer’s younger son in the Allahabad High Court against police and other administrative officials for allegedly confining them. The court, during the hearing, had ordered the police to present Hansraj and his family before it.

DCP (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan said Hansraj, a small farmer in Rohi, and his family were among residents of the six villages who were rehabilitated during the first stage of the airport’s development.

“While all residents of these villages had shifted to the designated R&R site, Hansraj did not. The district administration had been issuing several notices to Hansraj and his family to move out,” said DCP Khan.

Khan said that finally, on May 29, the family was moved by the Jewar sub-district magistrate and sent to the R&R site.

But Hansraj, who suffers from asthma, fell sick during the shifting and was admitted to Kailash Hospital in Jewar by Saurabh.

In the meantime, DCP Khan said Hansraj’s younger son, after listening to Pramod, Puttan, and other farmer leaders and lawyers, filed a habeas corpus petition in the Allahabad HC on June 2 against police and administrative officers. He alleged they had illegally detained his father, mother, and brother.

“On June 9, the petition was accepted by the court, which directed the police to present the three by June 11,” police said in a statement.

“When we failed to produce them before the court, it shifted the date to July 7. We began our investigation, formed seven teams, and started going through CCTV footage and other electronic evidence — and found that the accused had illegally confined the family. On June 27, we recovered them from Pawan’s house,” said the officer.

“The flight captain, who is the mastermind of this case, abducted the three on June 6 on the pretext of taking them to another hospital for better treatment. The three were held hostage in a secluded enclosure outside Dayanatpur village. The accused had conspired to kidnap them to cause hindrance and disorder in the relocation policy of the Noida International Airport,” said the DCP.
Police are looking into how Puttan got involved in the case. “We are also looking into the various compensation claims that have been availed by Puttan. He is a habitual litigant,” said Khan.

Police have registered an FIR under Section 140(3) (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Jewar police station.