While thousands sought divine blessings on the occasion of Chhath Puja in the Capital on Thursday, one couple’s prayers were answered when they were reunited with their son nearly 20 days after he was kidnapped by three persons.
A couple unable to come to terms with their son’s death four years ago had allegedly conspired to kidnap the two-year-old boy from south-east Delhi’s Amar Colony on October 8.
Two of the three accused have been arrested, the police said on Friday.
Police complaint
Garhi resident Birendra Jha, approached the police on October 8 stating that his son Sumit had been kidnapped from outside the house. “He had gone out to play and did not return,” Mr. Jha told the police.
Based on his complaint, a kidnapping case was registered. The police formed a team to find the boy and checked CCTV footage from the area.
“During investigation, footage from at least 15 CCTV cameras installed in the area was obtained and scanned,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (south-east) Romil Baaniya said.
While scanning the footage, the team spotted a man in his 20s taking the child. A search was launched in nearby areas including Kallu Mohalla, Shera Mohalla, Prakash Mohalla, Jharia Maria Mohalla and Dussehra Mohalla.
“With help of local intelligence and after questioning several residents, the man was identified as Vinod. He lived in Shera Mohalla but belonged to Gorakhpur,” said Mr. Baaniya.
Accused missing
However, Vinod was missing when the police raided his house in search of the missing boy. The locals informed the police that Vinod and his family had been missing since October 9.
They also told the police that another couple residing in the same building, Panna Lal and his wife Devshila alias Sushila, were also missing. Mr. Baaniya said the couple also belonged to Gorakhpur.
A police team was sent to Gorakhpur but failed to find Vinod at his permanent residence.
“The team searched nearly 25 villages looking for Vinod. He was finally found on Thursday near Bans Gaon and apprehended,” Mr. Baaniya claimed.
Vinod allegedly told the police that he had acted on instructions of Panna Lal and Devshila. A raid was conducted following this revelation, and the police found Sumit and Panna Lal.
“The boy was rescued and Panna Lal arrested. He was about to leave for Nepal with Sumit,” said Mr. Baaniya, adding that efforts are on to nab Devshila.
₹1 lakh
According to the police, Panna Lal’s four-year-old son died of chicken pox four years ago. The couple tried to have another child but Devshila could not conceive. The couple then hired Vinod to kidnap a child for ₹1 lakh.
“They had been planning the kidnapping for four months. In fact, a few attempts to abduct the boy earlier had failed. However, Vinod managed to kidnap Sumit on October 8 while he was playing outside his house,” Mr. Baaniya said.
The boy was reunited with his parents during Chhath Puja celebrations. “Our prayers have been answered,” Mr. Jha told the police.
