Kidnapped Tahira recovered, driver arrested

PATNA: "Babu aa gayi hai, mere godi me dudh pi rahi hai (The baby has come and is having milk in my lap)," Tahira's mother Naushia was telling her husband Faiz Ahmed over phone on Wednesday after Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj recovered the baby from a brick kiln at Shiv Chak under Daniawan police station area and handed her over to the family.
Police arrested Tahira's kidnapper Raj Kumar, the family driver since September, 2012.The grand daughter of additional director of Mahavir Vatsalya Hospital and retired IAS officer MWA Anjum, Tahira was kidnapped on Tuesday morning when she was sent with the driver to a neighbour's house.
"Raj had demanded Rs 20 lakh ransom for releasing Tahira. He confessed to the police that he needed the amount for his eldest daughter Sangeeta's wedding. He planned the kidnapping with his five friends," the SSP said.
Raj had wrapped Tahira in a gamcha (towel) and kept her in an autorickshaw. They were constantly moving in the auto and were changing location. "He was using his mobile phone only to talk to Tahira's family members," said a police source.
Patna SSP constituted separate teams to conduct raids at different places. The police teams raided every brick kiln in the area in search of Tahira. "There was a small bridge near a brick kiln at Shiv Chak under Daniawan police station area. When Raj saw the police teams raiding the brick kiln, he tried to shift Tahira from there. It was around 6.15pm when we recovered Tahira and Raj from there," said the SSP.
Anjum thanked the cops for the "marvelous job. I shall always be grateful to Patna police for the way they recovered my grandchild. My son Faiz will reach Patna on Thursday."
A large number of Anjum's relatives reached his house on Road No. 4 in Pataliputra Colony. An ambulance and a team of medical staff were attending Tahira's grandmother Razia Khatun and mother Naushia Tabassum. Naushia fell sick due to tension and stress and was put on saline.
According to police sources, a large number of police personnel were deployed in civvies around Anjum's house. "Itna intezer to dulhan ka hota hai. Lag raha hai meri bachchi nahin dulhan ghar ayi hai," said Tahira's grandmother.