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A teenaged domestic help at the Tilauthu circle officer’s house was recovered by Rohtas police on Thursday based on information from one of his alleged abductors.
Mukesh Kumar, 16, had gone missing from his workplace, around 165km southeast of Patna, on February 28. The kidnapping came to light when Tilauthu circle officer Arvind Kumar received ransom calls for Rs 5 lakh from the abductors on Monday.
The officer sought the police’s help while Mukesh’s father Vashishtha Yadav lodged a complaint with the Tilauthu police station on Wednesday. One of the abductors was arrested on Thursday.
Rohtas superintendent of police (SP) Manu Maharaj said a team was formed under deputy superintendent of police Kamla Kant Prasad to recover the teenaged boy.
The team comprised station house officers of Tilauthu, Indrapuri, Rohtas and Amjour police stations and the personnel of the district police extortion cell.
Within around 24 hours of the complaint, the team picked up Daroga Yadav, a native of Chandrapura village under Tilauthu police station, from his house. The cellphone handset used to make ransom calls to the circle officer was also seized.
Based on information provided by Yadav, Mukesh was recovered from Patpura village under Dehri police station, around 20km north of Tilauthu.
The Rohtas SP said Daroga had handed over Mukesh to his relative in Chenari, Rajesh Yadav after which he was shifted around to mislead the police. On Sunday, Mukesh was shifted to Bhaiya Ram Yadav’s house in Patpura from where he was finally recovered.
The SP said Rajesh had hatched the conspiracy to kidnap Mukesh to collect ransom from the circle officer.
“The police swung into action and recovered the boy before any deal was struck between the kidnappers and the public servant for setting the captive free,” said Maharaj.
The Tilauthu circle officer confirmed that the abductors had contacted him on his cellphone demanding ransom from him.
Raids are on to arrest other members of the gang, said a police officer in the district.
“Rajesh is evading arrest. He was earlier associated with the Maoists,” the SP said, assuring suitable reward for the policemen involved in the operation.
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