2-crore ransom bid: Eight months on the run, man caught after 2-km foot chase by police

Mohammed Wamiq, the alleged mastermind behind a January 2 ransom abduction, was captured after a two-kilometer foot chase by police on Tuesday. The chase began when a New Delhi Crime Branch team, alerted by surveillance and local intelligence, tracked Wamiq to Southeast Delhi. Wamiq, who had been on the run for eight months, was allegedly en route to meet his girlfriend in New Ashok Nagar when he spotted the police force and attempted to flee.

Officers pursued him on foot for nearly two kilometers before apprehending him, DCP Chander Kumar Singh confirmed. Wamiq, who had been declared a proclaimed offender by a court in March, had abducted scrap dealer Nizammudin from his home in Delhi to his factory in Ghaziabad. Five men allegedly abducted Nizammudin near Okhla Metro station, forcing him into a white Tata Punch, where Wamiq demanded a Rs 2 crore ransom and threatened to kill the victim if the demand was not met.

Nizammudin managed to escape when the vehicle stopped at a petrol pump, running away before reaching his factory. Police said Wamiq was aware that Nizammudin could provide a substantial ransom and had arranged the Tata Punch used in the crime. Wamiq and a co-conspirator, Noman, absconded following the incident, with a Rs 20,000 reward for their arrest.

Wamiq had a criminal history involving theft, robbery, cheating, and Arms Act offenses in Uttar Pradesh, and was also involved in four previous criminal cases in the region. He owned a salon in Faridabad before closing it in December 2022 due to financial losses.