A senior police officer said the boy’s father struck a deal and two accused were staying in a rented accommodation along with the boy. (Source: Express Photo)
After a brief exchange of fire, Delhi Police has rescued a five-year-old boy, who was kidnapped from Shahdara area on January 25 – on a day when police deployment was up because of Republic Day, the ASEAN summit, and apprehensions of anti-Padmaavat protests.
During the exchange of fire with the police, one of the kidnappers was shot dead while the other was injured. He has been admitted to GTB hospital where he is recuperating. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Alok Kumar has confirmed that they have rescued the child. But he refused to divulge further details.
Initially, the Shahdara district police was investigating the case, but two days after the incident, the boy’s father received a call where the caller demanded Rs 70 lakh ransom for his release. The Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik then transferred the case from Shahdara district to crime branch. “Police started scanning all the CCTV footages and established that the kidnappers before executing the incident, conducted recce. Police have found several footages where they have seen the kidnappers and later with the help of technical surveillance, police started tracking their location,” police sources said.
According to a senior police officer the boy’s father struck a deal and the two accused were staying in a rented accommodation along with the boy. Both the accused identified as Ravi and Nitin have been asked by their associates to collect the ransom amount. But their luck ran out after police detained a man, who was passing information to them. The man then disclosed their flat details with the police.
“A trap was laid near the flat, situated at Loni border, where the kidnapper Ravi opened fire at police after seeing them. In retaliation, police also fired on him and he was shot dead on the spot. Police also fired on Nitin, who sustained two gunshots. Several rounds of fire were exchanged between the accused and police. Two bullets hit police personnel, but they were wearing bulletproof jackets. All the victims, including some police personnel were taken to GTB Hospital for medical treatment,” the officer added.
On January 25, a school bus ferrying 14 children was targeted by two men, who barged inside brandishing guns, shot the driver in the leg and kidnapped a five-year-old boy. The bus was picking up children from a bus stop at the time it was intercepted at GTB Enclave area, police said.
Initially, the Shahdara district police was investigating the case, but two days after the incident, the boy’s father received a ransom call where the caller demanded Rs 70 lakh ransom for his release. (Source: Express Photo)
“Minutes after the bus halted, two men parked their black-coloured bike nearby and entered the bus. Both of them kept their helmets on. They asked the driver about the details of a particular boy, and when he refused to share details, one of them pointed the gun at a woman attendant sitting in the front seat. The woman attendant was questioned at gunpoint, and she eventually pointed to a boy sitting alongside his sister on the last seat,” a police officer said.
“One of the assailants went and grabbed the boy from his seat. When his sister tried to intervene and held his hand, he pointed the gun at her. One of them also fired at the driver, shooting him on his thigh. The two then fled towards Uttar Pradesh with the boy,” an officer said, adding that child was wearing a fancy dress to participate in a school event, and was not carrying his identification card at the time.
As soon as the kidnappers left, the woman attendant informed school authorities, who approached Delhi Police. “Police rushed to the spot and took the driver to GTB Hospital, from where he was referred to Safdarjung Hospital,” the officer said.