‘Mirzapur’-style ‘kidnapping’ bid goes awry in UP, cops arrest both 'victim' and would-be attackers

Four men were arrested from Uttar Pradesh this week amid a dramatic kidnapping attempt — including the purported victim and a ‘bystander’ filming the incident. The group has been attempting to film a sensational Instagram reel when their ‘crime’ was thwarted by locals who surrounded the kidnappers and stopped their bike.

Visuals of the now-viral incident show two bike-borne assailants halt their vehicle near a street food stall in the Khatauli area of Muzaffarnagar. They catch hold of a man eating chat and swifty cover his face with a cloth. There is a brief tussle before they manage to ‘sedate’ their victim and push his ‘unconscious’ body onto the waiting bike. 

It was at this point into the reel that things went awry for the ‘influencers’ — with residents determined to stop them from fleeing the scene. Some were spotted filming the incident (unrelated to the group's designated cameraperson) while others blocked their exit path. The clip also showed one of the ‘kidnappers’ arguing with them as he attempted to navigate the bike. 

The situation was eventually resolved after they explained the Reel premise with the trio seen laughing as they discussed the situation to locals. 

A clip of the incident was later uploaded on social media with the Mirzapur TV show theme song in the background. However this proved detrimental for the group with social media users calling for strict action as the post went viral. The police also intervened with later reports suggesting that the Instagrammers had been arrested.

"Today, a video went viral on social media showing three boys filming a fake kidnapping in a public place in Khatauli town. The video caused panic among the locals, and now the police are working on identifying the boys involved in the video," the police said.

(With inputs from agencies)