Bengaluru: Boy rescued after 5km chase, encounter with kidnappers

BENGALURU: In a filmi-style rescue operation involving hot pursuit and an encounter that lasted 16 hours, Bengaluru police rescued a 11-yearold boy from the clutches of his kidnappers in the wee hours of Saturday. Cops arrested six abductors and shot at the mastermind —when he attacked them.
Mohammed Zain, Mohammed Shahid, Khaleel, Faizon, Muzamil and Fahim, all aged 25 and from Bharatinagar, hatched the plot and befriended the boy on the pretext of getting him kites. The boy’s father is a cloth merchant and known for his charity. The accused — college dropouts with no stable income — wanted to make quick money to lead a lavish lifestyle, police said.

Since August first week, Zain and others would visit the boy and take him out for kite-flying. The boy’s family did not suspect the accused as they lived nearby.
On Thursday evening, one of them took him outside on a two-wheeler. Zain had arranged a Maruti Swift car for the kidnap. They made the boy sit inside the vehicle and gave him soft-drink mixed with sleeping pills. As the boy slept, the three kidnappers drove to the outskirts, police said.
“A little later, Zain walked into the shop of the boy’s father, which was closed and dropped a letter written in broken English, demanding Rs 2 crore,” deputy commissioner of police SD Sharanappa said.
By 10pm, boy’s parents started searching for him. At 1.45am, Zain called the boy’s father and informed him about the letter. He soon rushed to the shop, found the letter and alerted police.