Kidnapped contractor's son rescued from UP, tenant held

INDORE: Three days after being abducted by a tenant, 12-year-old son of a city-based contractor Khushal Rathore was rescued from Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh past Monday midnight. Acting on specific inputs from Indore police, special weapons and tactics team (SWATT) team of Jalaun police rescued the Class VI student boy from the clutches of his kidnapper, 25-year-old Chandan Singh at Kaunch bus stop.
According to Jalaun superintendent of police Rakesh Shankar, "We got an SOS about the boy being kidnapped by Chandan, a resident of Kaunch area. Zeroing in on his location, UP police team finally nabbed Chandan, who was dressed like an army jawan, just when he was about to board a bus to go to his sister-in-law's house in Kevkar village."
"Kidnapper and the rescued minor were subsequently handed over to Indore police team on Tuesday morning," the SP added.
Khajrana police station in charge CB Singh told TOI that till few months ago Chandan ran a streetside snacks shop in Gwalior. But, aiming to earn quick money for visually impaired mother's urgent surgery, Chandan came to Indore a month ago and with the reference of a neighbour, he started living as tenant in three-storey house of a private contractor Khushal Rathore at Tapeshwari Nagar, Khajrana.
"He only mixed with Khushal's three kids, particularly Sushil, the youngest. On Saturday, he took him along for buying a refrigerator from a city mall, but didn't return. Rathore family subsequently lodged a kidnapping case at Khajrana police station on Sunday night," Singh said.
While searching the room where Chandan lived on rent, cops stumbled upon the details of a new cell phone, which was purchased just 10 days before kidnapping. Cell phone was then put on surveillance, which helped cops locate him.
"It was on Monday night that Chandan first sent an SMS to Khushal demanding Rs 15 lakh ransom for Sushil's release and later made the Class VI student talk to his father over phone," Singh added.
Chandan's initial quizzing has revealed that he first took Sushil from Indore to Bhopal by road, followed by train journey to Jhansi. He stayed with the boy for one night in Jhansi before entering Jalaun.