Lucknow, Jul 12 (IANS): An FIR has been lodged against Samajwadi Party spokesperson I.P. Singh for allegedly kidnapping, thrashing and giving life threat to a businessman from the city, said police.

The complainant Avadesh Singh, a resident of Golf City, in his FIR has claimed that he had taken Rs 34 lakh from the accused, I.P. Singh, sometimes back and used to pay profit monthly.

"However, due to Covid-19, my business failed and owing to some personal problems could not pay back profits to him," he stated in the FIR.

"I pleaded with him to pay back the money after October. Last week, I.P. Singh called me over the phone, but I could not take the call and later called him back stating that I would drop in at his residence next week. However, I got delayed by one day in informing the accused about my return to Lucknow.

"Thereafter on Sunday, around 10 a.m., I.P. Singh, along with his brother Manoj Singh and other aides barged into my house, abducted me and dumped me in a room of his house in Vibhuti Khand," he alleged.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), East, Qasim Abidi, said that an FIR under the charges of attempt to murder, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, rioting was lodged against I.P. Singh, his brother Manoj Singh, an aide Uday Yadav and others.

"A team has been assigned the case and a probe is underway," he said.

Singh, meanwhile, said that the charges against him were baseless and designed to damage him politically.