Woman director of IAS coaching institute held captive, robbed of Rs 1.89 crore in Bhopal

PTI, May 3, 2026, Bhopal : The Crime Branch in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal has arrested six persons for allegedly robbing an IAS coaching institute director of Rs 1.89 crore at gunpoint after holding her captive for two days, an official said on Sunday.

A police statement said the accused lured Shubhra Ranjan, director of a Delhi-based IAS academy, to Bhopal on Wednesday under the pretext of opening a new centre and organising a seminar.

“They invited her to a rented house, held her hostage using armed accomplices, and forced the transfer of Rs 1.89 crore into various bank accounts under threat to life. The accused organised a Sundarkand recital at the place to ensure the victim’s call for help would not be heard,” the statement said.

The main conspirator is Priyank Sharma, a former student of the victim’s institute, while other accused are from Datia and Rewa, it added.

After Ranjan approached police on Thursday, her bank account was frozen as part of efforts to retrieve the money, the official said.

Incidentally, main accused Priyank Sharma admitted himself to AIIMS-Bhopal citing illness to evade arrest on Sunday, the official said.

“Sharma was held from the hospital, where his mother and wife created a ruckus on the premises. A police team under Commissioner Sanjay Kumar and Additional Commissioner Monica Shukla arrested the accused from multiple locations using technical evidence. The pistol used in the crime and other materials have been recovered,” he said.

Apart from Sharma, the official identified the other arrested accused as Rohit Malviya, Deepak Bhagat, Vikas alias Vicky Dahiya, Kunal Yadav and Pankaj Ahirwar. One person is on the run, while the role of another is being probed, he added.