MTV crew arrested for stage kidnapping

August 31: Perhaps it was a case of being carried away by their boob-tube pranks, but two overenthusiastic MTV crew members landed behind...

August 31: Perhaps it was a case of being carried away by their boob-tube pranks, but two overenthusiastic MTV crew members landed behind bars for staging the kidnapping of their video-jockey on his birthday on August 8.

MTV employees hired extras to stage the kidnapping of a video jockey, Cyrus Sahukar, at Khar recently on his 19th birthday. The team descended on Sahukar when the newly recruited veejay was having an early breakfast at a restaurant at Juhu, and threatened8217; him with a knife.

Even before Sahukar could finish eating, the kidnappers8217; blindfolded him, trussed him up and bundled him into a waiting jeep, which drove towards their office at Tardeo.

Thinking this was for real and fearing a shootout, customers in the restaurant and bystanders ran for cover. Even as the crew were busy with the kidnapping8217;, new MTV veejay Asif Seth and Sikander were recording reactions of their frightened fellow VJ, blow-by-blow.

But what the crew hadn8217;t bargained for was that the usually indifferent Mumbaipublic could dial for the police. A police alert was sounded soon after an anonymous caller phoned in the number plate of the kidnappers8217; jeep. The number was flashed to all police wireless units and the jeep was immediately intercepted at a deserted spot near Khar.

When the police, led by Senior Inspector S S Walishetty of the Khar police, cautiously approached the vehicle, they discovered to their great surprise that it was a staged kidnapping. The police officials who were informed of the prank initially let the MTV staffers off with a warning.

However, police brass were infuriated. Police stations all over the city were needlessly alerted over the prank and over 1,000 policemen all over the city were mobilised in a special nakabandi hunting for the jeep before it was intercepted.

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While the kidnapping8217; occured on August 8, police initiated action against the hired extras, Raju Gosavi and M Madan Mangesh, only recently. The duo were found in possession of a knife and were charged under Section 37 ofthe Indian Penal Code. They were arrested and produced before a metropolitan magistrate and later released on bail.

8220;We initiated action because the MTV crew caused fear in the minds of the public. Besides, some of them were found in possession of weapons,8221; Additional Commissioner of Police North-West Rakesh Maria told Express Newsline.

MTV had recently begun the new five-minute capsule programme Bakra, wherein the VJ, Cyrus Broacha popularly known as the senior8217; Cyrus pulled various pranks on unsuspecting members of public, on the lines of the internationally popular Candid Camera.

However, this was not another Bakra episode. An MTV spokesperson said it was not a prank ever meant to be pulled off on members of the general public. 8220;Cyrus was part of the MTV family and since it was his birthday, the production team decided to surprise him. If anybody has been hurt in anyway, we apologise.8221; Sahukar was out of the city shooting for an episode of Made in India.