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shiv Sunny shiv.sunny@hindustantimes.com
BSP leader’s son threatens couple with gun
NEWDELHI: A young couple is harassed in the portico of a five-star hotel by a powerful Uttar Pradesh politician’s son who brandishes a pistol and drives away in a BMW car. A video of the incident later goes viral won social media. It could be a typical Delhi story of entitlement, wealth, connections, bluster, and a lethal weapon.

A screen grab from the video of the incident that went viral.
The son of a former BSP legislator was seen waving a pistol to threaten a former Delhi MLA’s son and his woman friend at the luxury hotel in Delhi in the early hours of Sunday.

Since neither the victims nor the hotel authorities approached the police, suspect Ashish Pandey may have gotten away with the crime if a video of the act had not gone viral. Two days later, Delhi Police booked him on Tuesday, taking suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the incident.

They issued a lookout circular against Ashish to stop him from leaving India and have also strengthened security at the Nepal border. The police have issued a show cause notice to the hotel over withholding information and helping Ashish escape.

A Lucknow-based realtor, Ashish is the son of Rakesh Pandey, a former MP from the Ambedkar Nagar constituency in Uttar Pradesh from 2009 to 2014.