Eight-year-old Class II student Nadipalli Shiva Charan was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a gang at Ranigarithota area in Vijayawada on Friday. His body was recovered from Bandar canal on Saturday.
The Krishnalanka police, who are investigating the case, arrested two persons – Mastan and Kishore – who are allegedly linked to the crime.
According to police, the accused picked up the boy while he was playing near his house on Friday evening. Around 7.30 p.m. Mastan had picked up the boy promising to offer him ice-cream. Later in the day, the gang had called up his family members and demanded ₹2 lakh as ransom to release him. As Shiva Charan’s father N. Kanaka Rao expressed his inability to pay the amount, they killed the boy in just few hours.
As the boy did not turn up until 10.30 p.m. on Friday, Mr. Kanaka Rao called back Mastan, who claimed that Shiva Charan was in their custody.
The kidnappers asked Mr. Kanaka Rao to bring ₹2 lakh and meet them near a cinema theatre, located on M.G. Road, and take back his son. After being alerted about the issue, the Krishnalanka police laid a trap and arrested Mastan and Kishore, who confessed to have committed the crime.
Based on the information provided by the accused, police retrieved the body, packed in a gunny bag, from Bandar canal.
“We suspect that the accused killed the boy in just a few hours after he was kidnapped,” a police officer who is investigating the case told The Hindu on Saturday.
“As the kidnappers were neighbours to the victim, it became easy for the accused to pick up the boy without any resistance. We are trying to find out whether there are any other reasons behind the abduction of the boy. The case is being investigated in all angles,” a senior police officer said.
The body was sent to Government General Hospital (GGH) mortuary for post-mortem, the police said.