Kidnapped boy found in a drain in Uttar Pradesh's Banda

LUCKNOW: A four-year-old boy kidnapped by two masked men outside his house in Hamirpur district on Monday afternoon was recovered within four hours from Banda. The boy, Vaibhav, was found in a drain and has suffered injuries on his neck.
IG Chitrakoot Dham range Suvendu Bhagat told TOI that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from Vaibhav’s father Prabhat Tiwari, a clerk in Hamirpur collectorate.
The officer also said that preliminary investigations in the case indicate at an insider’s role in the kidnapping. “Only those who were familiar with Prabhat were aware that whenever a doorbell rings, Vaibhav goes to open the door. This is what happened on Monday too,” the officer added.
When Vaibhav opened the door, the accused struck a conversation with him and lured him for a bike ride with toffees. In the meantime, Prabhat’s neighbour Raghvendra spotted Vaibhav going on a bike with two men and got suspicious.
“I know the family well and thought it was odd that Vaibhav would go out with someone like that. Apprehending foul play, I reached Prabhat’s house and asked about Vaibhav,” Raghvendra told police. When the parents realised what had happened, they asked Raghvendra to inform the police.
In the meantime, Prabhat got a call from an unknown number demanding ransom of Rs 50 lakh, the police said.
SHO, Kotwali, Hamirpur Durg Vijay Singh said that they alerted senior officials and began a search.