================================================================================================
CASE 245  |  Prince Pandey  |  July 15, 2025  |  India
================================================================================================

DATABASE RECORD
  id                  245
  date                July 15, 2025
  original_date       July 15, 2025
  year                2025
  month               7
  quarter             2025-Q3
  victim              Prince Pandey
  location            Ahmedabad, India
  country             India
  scenario            Malicious Invitation - SocialEng
  description         3 men lured a trader into a trap and assaulted him while demanding 50,000 USDT. The victim's father contacted police and they managed to find and rescue him.
  kidnappings         1
  violence_torture    1
  drugs_alcohol       0
  weapons             0
  theft               0
  life_taken          0
  money_wanted        50000
  coin_type           USDT
  reports             GujaratSamahar
  notes               (null)
  has_processed_date  1
  created_at          2025-11-13 05:44:45

AI SUMMARY  [revised on review, verified against the sources in this file. Live DB still holds the shorter bulk-import summary — apply this to it.]
  **Victims:** Prince Pandey, a cryptocurrency trader in Ahmedabad, India, and the son of a retired Army Subedar Major.
  
  **Attackers:** Three men, all arrested — Karan Tarunbhai Nair (19), the acquaintance who set up the meeting, Harsh Ajaybhai Thakkar (21) and Kripalsinh Govindsingh Vihol (25), both car-rental operators; a weapon was recovered from them.
  
  **Attack Method:** Pandey had discussed a USDT cash exchange with Nair and was called to meet a supposed customer near Bapunagar Toll Plaza around 2 a.m. on 15 July 2025; on arrival he was forced into a black car with tinted glass and no number plate and moved between locations through the night.
  
  **Violence Used:** He was brutally beaten and, because his crypto wallet had no strong password, repeatedly assaulted to force out his access credentials, suffering significant injuries that required hospital treatment.
  
  **Crypto Demanded/Stolen:** The kidnappers demanded he transfer 50,000 USDT (about ₹42 lakh); the record indicates no transfer was completed.
  
  **Status:** His father alerted police after failing to reach him; the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch traced the route via CCTV and surveillance and rescued him by afternoon, arresting the three accused. Police attributed the motive to a pending crypto-related financial dispute.

LINKED SOURCES
  [url]  https://english.gujaratsamachar.com/news/gujarat/army-veterans-son-kidnapped-for-cryptocurrency-ransom-3-arrested-in-overnight-operation

NOTES ON THIS FILE
  * matched to sheet row 246: exact match on victim + year, unique on both sides

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARTICLE 1
  Source   GujaratSamahar
  URL      https://english.gujaratsamachar.com/news/gujarat/army-veterans-son-kidnapped-for-cryptocurrency-ransom-3-arrested-in-overnight-operation
  Origin   reported_K&R sheet, row 246, column "Articles"
  Length   3,096 chars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Army veteran’s son kidnapped for cryptocurrency ransom, 3 arrested in overnight operation
Updated: Jul 15th, 2025

In a swift and coordinated operation, the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch on Tuesday rescued the son of a retired Subedar Major who had been kidnapped for ransom in cryptocurrency. The victim, Prince Pandey, was found after an intensive five-hour chase, and three men have been arrested for their role in the abduction.

According to police, Prince Pandey, a cryptocurrency trader residing near Agora Mall at S P Ring Road and the son of retired Army Subedar Major Pankaj Kumar Pandey, was lured into a trap under the guise of a business meeting. He had earlier discussed a USDT (Tether cryptocurrency) cash exchange with an acquaintance named Karan Nair, and was called to meet a customer near Bapunagar Toll Plaza around 2 am on July 15.

When Prince arrived at the designated spot, he was forced into a black car with tinted glass with no number plate. Inside the vehicle, he was brutally beaten and threatened with further violence unless he transferred 50,000 USDT—equivalent to approximately ₹42 lakh—to the kidnappers. Due to the absence of a strong password on his crypto wallet, the assailants repeatedly assaulted him to extract access credentials.



Throughout the night, Prince was moved to multiple locations as the kidnappers attempted to bypass his wallet’s security. Meanwhile, his father contacted the police control room immediately after failing to reach his son, prompting the Ahmedabad Crime Branch’s night surveillance team to launch an emergency search operation.

Accused arrested in overnight rescue

With the aid of technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and field intelligence, the Crime Branch traced the route and locations where Prince was taken. By afternoon, the team managed to locate and rescue him safely, though he had suffered significant injuries. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

Police identified and arrested the following three accused—

Karan Tarunbhai Nair (19) – Student, resident of Bapunagar

Harsh Ajaybhai Thakkar (21) – Car rental service operator, resident of Thakkarnagar

Kripalsinh Govindsingh Vihol (25) – Car rental operator, resident of Bapunagar

A weapon allegedly used in the kidnapping was also recovered from the accused. Preliminary investigation suggests that the motive behind the abduction was a pending financial dispute with Prince, linked to cryptocurrency dealings.

Crime Branch: ‘Operation conducted with precision and speed’

A senior Crime Branch official said, “This was a highly sensitive case involving a serving Army family. Time was of the essence. Our teams worked through the night with precision to ensure the safe recovery of the victim and the arrest of the accused.”

Further investigation is underway to determine whether others were involved in the planning or attempted laundering of the cryptocurrency. The police have also issued a reminder about the importance of strong digital security in cryptocurrency trading and warned traders against meeting unknown clients in isolated areas.

================================================================================================
generated from attacks-export-Gart-website.json + reported_K&R  |  case 245
================================================================================================
