The Thane Police Crime Branch has arrested two accused who had allegedly kidnapped a 12-year-old boy for a ransom in 2010, and had managed to evade the trap that the police had laid for them.
The police said that the accused, identified as Bhushan Karale and Bhushan Mengal, had kidnapped the boy from Dombivali on July 15, 2010, and had demanded Rs 15 lakh as ransom from the boy’s father.
The father approached the police and acting on their instructions, he expressed willingness to pay the ransom. An exchange was decided upon in the Nandeni village in Murbad on July 16, 2010, where the police laid a trap for the accused. When the accused showed up to collect the ransom, the victim’s father demanded proof of the boy’s safety.
The accused brought the boy and handed him over to his father, and took the bag containing the money, after which policemen, who were hiding in the area, moved in to arrest them.
The accused, however, pelted stones at the police, and the police had to shoot at them in retaliation. The accused then left the bag containing the money at the spot and fled into the forest adjacent to the village.
Acted on tip-off
“Earlier this month, we got a tip-off that two men who had kidnapped a young boy in 2010 were currently living in Badlapur. We found out details of the case and tracked down the duo, after which we kept them under watch for a couple of days and ultimately picked them up for inquiries on December 24,” said an officer with the Thane Police Crime Branch. The duo was questioned at length by the Crime Branch, after which they allegedly confessed to having committed the crime.
Addicted to dance bars
“The accused said in their confession that they had committed the crime because they had been addicted to dance bars and had run into a heavy debt due to their addiction. In order to pay off the debts, the duo decided to kidnap the boy to earn quick money,” the officer added.
The duo was placed under arrest following their confession, and after being produced in court, were remanded to the Crime Branch’s custody till December 30, the police said.
The boy was abducted from Dombivali in July 2010; Rs 15 lakh was sought as ransom
