Police rescue kidnapped boy within hours

Two-member gang had demanded Rs.5 lakh for releasing him

REUNION: S. Krish Anand, who was rescued from kidnappers, with the Commissioner of the Police, T. Rajendran, in Chennai on Thursday. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

Hours after an eight-year-old boy was kidnapped for ransom by a gang here late on Wednesday night, police launched an intensive search operation and rescued the victim.

According to police sources, the two-member gang that came in a car intercepted S. Krish Anand of Kodungaiyur who was returning home from tuition, and offered to take him on a round. After buying him chocolates and snacks, they drove Anand towards Bangalore and called his parents demanding Rs.5 lakh for releasing the boy.

“Chennai police spent a sleepless night yesterday after the boy's father lodged a complaint. We formed four special teams and rescued Anand near Vellore. Suresh (23) and William Stephen (22) of Vyasarpadi who kidnapped the boy were arrested. Two weapons were seized from the car used to commit the offence,” Commissioner of Police T. Rajendran told reporters on Thursday.

Explaining how the police cracked the case, Mr. Rajendran said the suspects called Anand's parents many times and kept changing the place of meeting.

At one point of time, they made the family believe that they were travelling in a train along with the boy to Bangalore.

The Vellore police were alerted to check Katpadi and Jolarpettai railway stations. Plainclothesmen accompanied Anand's parents in another train with the ransom.

“Each time the suspects called, they ensured that the boy spoke to his parents. They threatened to harm Anand if the money was not paid. Since the investigators had a suspicion that the kidnappers were not in a train, we had police deployed at bus stands and check-posts,” he said. The police also got an idea about the locations by tracking the calls through mobile phone towers.

Acting on the instructions of the Superintendent of Police (Vellore) T.S. Anbu, a special team intercepted vehicles at the Pallikonda check-post.

“While checking a Maruti Swift car, we found the boy with two men. The accused persons offered no resistance,” Mr. Anbu said.

He appreciated the good work of Joint Commissioner of Police (North) S.N. Seshasai and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kodungaiyur) N. Baskaran. The accused had hired a car to kidnap Anand. “He was a random target… they had set out to kidnap somebody for ransom on Wednesday evening and saw the boy returning home from tuition. After interacting with Anand for sometime, they decided to kidnap him. Suresh, an unemployed, hit upon the kidnap idea to make quick money,” he added.