Kidnappers extorted ₹10 lakh after kidnapping Gopi Maharaj, the priest of the Surendranagar’s Chotila temple in Gujarat, over a past financial transaction that had gone wrong. 

Seven years ago, Gopi Maharaj had helped his friend, Virbhadrasinh Chauhan, by mediating a loan agreement with a money lender, Yuvraj Khachar. Chauhan had borrowed ₹1.5 lakh from Khachar at an interest rate of 12.5%. 

However, Chauhan failed to repay the loan, and the money lender began demanding the money from Gopi Maharaj, claiming that he was responsible due to his mediation.

Over time, Khachar’s demands grew. After nine months of non-payment, he started harassing Gopi Maharaj and demanded ₹18 lakh, including the interest. The priest filed a complaint with the police in 2019 regarding this harassment.

Enraged by the complaint, Chauhan later increased his demands to ₹40 lakh.When the priest refused to pay the money, Chauhan, along with his brother Satyaraj and two accomplices, kidnapped Gopi Maharaj.

The kidnappers took the priest’s phone and contacted his brother, Sachin Giri, threatening that Gopi Maharaj would be killed unless ₹10 lakh was paid for his release. In an attempt to save his brother, Sachin paid the ransom.

Additionally, the kidnappers warned the family that if they reported the incident to the police, all three family members would be killed.

A formal complaint has been lodged with the police regarding the kidnapping and extortion.

Also read :

Ahmedabad man assaulted at home, dies after being attacked again in ambulance

Stabbing at tea shop leaves one injured in Ahmedabad