Child kidnapped from school bus rescued; 1 kidnapper shot dead

A five-year-old boy, who was brazenly kidnapped from a school bus on Republic Day eve, was rescued today after an encounter between police and the kidnappers, an official said.

One of the alleged kidnappers, identified as Ravi (25), was killed, while his accomplice Pankaj (21) was injured and the third, Nitin (28), was arrested, Joint Commissioner (Crime Branch) of Police Alok Kumar said.

The alleged kidnappers had kept the boy, Rehan, in an apartment at Shalimar City, Sahibabad (Ghaziabad), from where he was rescued around 1 AM after the encounter, he said.

Rehan, the son of a wholesale businessman, was kidnapped allegedly by Ravi and Pankaj from his school bus on January 25, Kumar said.
 

The alleged kidnappers, who were on a bike, forcefully opened the doors of the bus near IBHAAS on Mandoli Road and shot at bus driver Naresh Thapa, the official said.

On January 28, the father of the boy received a ransom call. Later, on the same day, a video of the boy was sent to the family through WhatsApp, he said.

A case was registered by the local police. It was, however, transferred to the Crime Branch on January 28 on the instruction of the commissioner of police.

A Crime Branch team, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Ram Gopal Naik, was formed which tracked the general area where the alleged kidnappers were holed up in Sahibabad, he said.

The team followed the movements of on the suspects, Nitin, who was arrested from Seemapuri on February 5.

He admitted to having kidnapped the child along with his associates Ravi and Pankaj and disclosed their hideout, the official said.

The Crime Branch team, including inspector Vinay Tyagi, went to the identified apartment on January 6 where the duo allegedly opened fire on Tyagi and commando Kuldip Singh, following which the policemen retaliated, he said.

"On entering the flat, the policemen found Ravi and Pankaj injured. They were rushed to GTB hospital, where Ravi succumbed to his injuries. He had sustained a bullet injury on the base of his neck," Kumar said.

Pankaj also sustained bullet injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital, he said.

The father of the boy expressed happiness over safe recovery of the child and thanked the police.

"It is all because of the police that we have our child safe. I also want to thank the media who did not extensively cover the kidnapping that helped in safe rescue of the child," he said.