5 held for kidnapping boy in Ghaziabad

Five people were arrested on Friday for allegedly kidnapping a 13-year-old boy, and a portion of the ransom amount paid by the child's father for his release has been recovered from them, police said here.

The boy was kidnapped on February 10 evening when he had gone to a local stationary shop. His parents had lodged a missing person complaint at Kavi Nagar police station, SP (city) Shlok Kumar said.

The kidnappers had demanded Rs 2 crore as ransom, but following negotiations, the amount was brought down to Rs 10 lakh. The boy was release by the kidnappers on the intervening night of February 14 and 15 upon payment of the ransom, the police officer said.

Acting on a tip off, the kidnappers -- Pramod Jain, Pradeep, Pawan, Pramod Yadav and Sonu Kumar -- were arrested on Friday, and Rs 8 lakh of the ransom amount paid has been recovered, he said.

A car, one motorcycle, three country-made pistols and a stolen mobile phone which the accused had used to make the ransom calls have been seized, police said, adding Pramod Jain, the leader of the gang, has confessed to their involvement in the crime.