Surat: Four traders from Surat were allegedly held hostage and robbed of cash, gold jewelry, and mobile phones worth ₹4.36 lakh in a forest near Nandurbar, around 30 km from the town, police said. The incident was reported at Kapodra police station.

According to information, Mukesh Ghanshyambhai Patel (38), a resident of Sneha Smruti Society in Varachha, is involved in the scrap business. At the end of last month, he came across an advertisement on a Facebook group for aluminum scrap, offering 500 tons of aluminum scrap for sale. The seller was listed as Manoj Patil from Dhule, who allegedly agreed to sell the scrap at ₹2 less per kg than the market rate and demanded an advance of ₹25,000, later sending a representative to collect the advance.

On September 1, Mukesh Patel, along with his partners Dishant Vekriya, Priyank Vekriya, and cousin Prakash Khanpara, traveled to Nandurbar to inspect the scrap. A man on a bike allegedly picked them up and took them to a deserted site under the pretext of showing the scrap. Upon arrival, a group of 10–12 men reportedly surrounded them. The four traders were taken hostage and moved to a forest 30 km away. The attackers seized cash, jewelry, and two expensive mobile phones worth ₹2.2 lakh. The hostages were reportedly held for three hours before being released around 7 PM after extorting ₹4.36 lakh from them.

The gang allegedly took the cash, jewelry, and expensive mobile phones. When the victims requested the return of important data on the phones, the robbers demanded ₹1 lakh. The money was transferred via QR code, after which the phones were returned to the victims.

False Video Confession Filmed
Before releasing them, the gang reportedly forced the victims to record a false video confession, claiming they had come to sell drugs to minors, to prevent news of the scrap-related robbery from spreading. The group allegedly included individuals named Manoj Patil, Aresh Sankilal Pawar, and others identified as Pinkesh, Bhuriya, Krush, Surya, Kanesh, Ladresh, and Jagdish.

Kapodra police have registered a case and are investigating the matter. DeshGujarat