The kidnap episode of six-year-old Shreeya ended on a tragic note with the kidnappers -- Yakub (28), Mohd. Naseem (21) and Syed Ameer (20) -- killing the little one by smothering her while taking her away in autorickshaw from her residence in Teachers Colony to Christianpalli on the outskirts of the district headquarters town.
At a press conference here on Thursday evening, Superintendent of Police D. Nagendra Kumar said, the DTP operator Yakub @ Khyser who worked with the girl’s father Nagaraju, with the help of his two friends -- Mohd. Naseem, who is autorickshaw driver, and Syed Ameer -- kidnapped the girl wearing masks when her parents were not at home on Wednesday.
At about 11 a.m., they took her away in the autorickshaw that did not have a number plate. Around 1 p.m., they made three calls to the parents of the girl and demanded Rs.10 lakh to set her free, warning them not to inform the police and media persons. Mr. Nagaraju works as lecturer in a Government Polytechnic, while his wife Rajitha works in a Government Junior College.
The trio shut Shreeya’s mouth for fear that she would scream.
But soon, they saw that she was not breathing and realised that she died. The criminals then stuffed her body in a gunny bag and dropped it in an agriculture well near Polkampalli village of Addakal mandal and returned to the town.
The police took Yakub and Naseem into custody. They later confessed to the crime.
