Gupta on Monday handed over an application to Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, requesting to register his complaint against Amit, Bablu Rajput alias Harkeshsingh Rajput and Mansukh Baldaniya. Bablu and Baldaniya are the husbands of BJP councillors Niralaben Rajput and Varshaben Baldaniya, respectively.

Gupta, a Kanpur native, had built the Radha Madhav Textile market in the Dindoli area of Surat in 2023. According to his complaint to the police commissioner, Gupta alleged that he had entered into an understanding with one Sumeet Goenka from Surat to allot him shops at the market complex in exchange for 16 bigah land at Palsana. Goenka had allegedly made diary entries on the deal.

Later, the deal did not go through as Goenka came up with different reasons. However, he kept the diaries. Goenka eventually went underground after a cheating complaint was registered by some other people.

According to the application, Amit, Bablu, Baldaniya, and their aides Rinku and Pintu showed up at Gupta’s office with the diaries and threatened him to sign a deal. Gupta clarified that the land deal has been cancelled.

Later, Amit kidnapped Gupta and took him to his office and assaulted him. He forcefully made Gupta sign eight cheques worth Rs 66.80 lakh, in addition to taking cash worth Rs 1.20 lakh. He was freed later in the night.

On Saturday, Gupta and his lawyer Vilas Patil approached the Godadara police to file an FIR against Amit and others. He also showed CCTV footage of the market from where he was kidnapped to Godadara police inspector H S Acharya. However, Gupta’s application alleged that Acharya did not register the offence.

“The police are intentionally not registering an offence against Amit Rajput and others as they all are high-profile people. The land deal with Sumeet Goenka was cancelled and he had later gone underground and the diaries of 90 shops of my market were with him. Amit and Bablu got nine diaries, and they turned up to me to sign the documents and get possession of the shop, which I denied. If no police FIR is registered against the accused, we will move the Gujarat High Court,” Gupta told The Indian Express.

Attempts to contact Amit Singh did not elicit a response.

Acharya told The Indian Express: “On Saturday, the lawyer and Gupta turned up, and we found it was a matter of monetary dispute behind the kidnapping. Gupta was seen walking from his office with some of the youths. As it was a technical matter, we told them to wait as it must be probed first before registering an offence. They (Gupta and Patil) demanded the offence be registered first.”

He added that after receiving Gupta’s application on Sunday, the police forwarded it to Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone 2 Bhagirath Gadhvi. “On Monday, a probe into the application was given to Assistant Commissioner of Police (D Division) V M Jadeja.”