Comedian and actor Sunil Pal claimed that he was kidnapped in Delhi on December 2 and he escaped after paying a ransom of Rs 8 lakh to the kidnappers. However, in a shocking turn of events, an audio clip has surfaced on social media which suggests that the comedian staged his own kidnapping. The audio features Sunil’s voice and he is allegedly talking to the kidnappers. The Free Press Journal couldn’t verify the authenticity of the viral audio.
According to a report in Dainik Jagran, Sunil Pal’s wife Sarita stated that only a portion of the full audio surfaced and added that it is ‘edited’. She mentioned that Sunil was first intimidated, and then the audio was recorded. She believes the complete picture will emerge once the culprits are apprehended. Currently, Sunil is at home but unwell, which is why she is handling the case.
Reportedly, Sarita visited Lal Kurti Police Station in Meerut with three lawyers and revealed that the kidnapping case of her husband, which was previously registered in Mumbai, has now been transferred to Meerut.
Sunil Pal की किडनैपिंग मामले में पुलिस ने खुलासा किया है कि सुनील पाल ने ही अपनी किडनैपिंग की प्लानिंग की थी.
एक ऑडियो में सुनील पाल किडनैपर से कह रहे हैं कि उन्होंने पुलिस में कोई शिकायत नहीं की थी और न किसी का नाम लिया है.pic.twitter.com/VRJQodKOdn
— बलिया वाले 2.0 (@balliawalebaba) December 10, 2024
The viral audio clip
In the audio, one of the kidnappers, Lavi Pal, is heard saying in Hindi, “Now you are not doing the right thing. We did whatever you asked us to do, and now you’ve filed an FIR against us.”
In response the person, purportedly Sunil says, “I did not do anything. If the media were after me, I would have said something. I did not complain.”
The man then asks, “Did you not tell your wife beforehand? She has approached the police.”
Sunil says, “No complaint was made. The media along with cyber crime people took out all this. Save yourself now and do not talk about meeting now. Things will worsen if you do. The police approached my wife after the matter surfaced; neither she nor I went to them. Don’t worry, everything will be managed.”
Sunil also claims the audio is fake
During an interaction with Times of India, the 49-year-old comedian said, “The kidnappers cleverly forced me to say things that portrayed them as innocent and then edited the audio before circulating it. I was threatened during the call and, under duress, said what they wanted me to. I just wanted to end the conversation as they repeatedly pressured me to meet them. I was unsure how to respond, so I answered according to their prompts. They called me 17 more times after I hung up. They have edited the audio to fit their narrative. If this was staged, why didn’t they include the entire conversation?”
CCRV footage of kidnappers
A couple of days back, a CCTV footage surfaced online in which the kidnappers can be seen buying jewellery from a store in Meerut using the ransom money. They reportedly demanded a ransom of Rs 20 lakh from him, however, post negotiation, they brought it down to Rs 8 lakh. The kidnappers made a purchase of Rs 4 lakh at a jewellery store in Sadar Bazar and Rs 2.25 lakh at another store in Lal Kurti area. They also asked the jewellers to make bills under Sunil’s name.
According to reports, Sunil was kidnapped in Delhi and was then taken to Meerut, where he was blindfolded and kept in a room.
Sunil Pal’s kidnapping case
It all unfolded after the comedian’s wife approached the Mumbai Police on December 3 and filed a missing plaint for her husband. He was later found as he returned home on December 4, and he revealed that he was kidnapped while he was on his way to Haridwar for an event.
In his statement to the cops, Sunil said that he was picked by a car, deemed to be that sent by the organisers, at the Delhi airport, and they made a pitstop at an eatery in Meerut. It was then that he was blindfolded and forced to sit in another car, and was held captive for two days.
