Besides the prison term, Additional Sessions Judge S S Rathi also imposed a fine of

Rs 50,000 each on the convicts Amar Misra, Satbir, Ravi, Mukesh and Rajender, after holding them guilty of abducting city-based businessman Sukhdayal Malik in July 1994.

In its order, the court gave credence to the recorded conversations of the accused. They had demanded a sum of Rs 20 lakh as ransom from Malik’s family. Malik, however, had been rescued by the Delhi Police.

The court, meanwhile, also dwelt at length over the rise in the cases of abduction and the motives of professional gangs. “The motive behind these cases is to either make quick money or ensure the release of other dreaded criminals. Despite the provision of death sentence in such cases, instances of kidnapping for ransom are increasing,” the

ASJ observed.

“The crime of kidnapping for ransom is not committed out of hatred, heated passions or compulsion or even because of some other disputes... but only due to lust for money,” he added.

In the present case, the convicts had followed Malik from a spare parts shop at Kashmere Gate to his residence in Punjabi Bagh in West Delhi, where they threatened him and forced him into their car. He was kept in detention at different places for four days before being rescued by the police from Gandhi Nagar.