Patna: A 13-year old boy who was kidnapped from Sonepur on Tuesday was recovered on Thursday morning during a joint operation by police teams of Patna, Sitamarhi and Saran.

Sunny Kumar, a Class IX student of St Paul's School in Hajipur, was kidnapped from Vrindavan Colony (his residence) in Sonepur while returning from school.

Four criminals in an SUV kidnapped him around 1.30pm on Tuesday afternoon and took him to Sitamarhi town where he was held captive at Fatima Lodge in Kargil Chowk area. Around 9.30am on Wednesday, the abductors called his father Lalan Kumar on his cellphone and demanded Rs 60 lakh for his safe release.

The call was made from Patna district. Sunny's father is a building material contractor and the abductors, among them a resident, knew of his financial condition.

As the case pertains to three districts, police personnel from Patna, Sitamarhi and Saran sprung into action. "Saran police contacted Patna police, as the call was made from Patna district," Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj said.

"On the basis of the ransom callers' location, Patna police arrested Santosh Kumar from Mokama area. Santosh revealed the names of two of his accomplices, Raushan and Kaushal, who were arrested from Gupta Lodge in Bahadurpur area of Patna."

The three arrested criminals confessed before Patna police that the boy, after being kidnapped from Sonepur area, was kept in Sitamarhi. Police sources said that on Wednesday a joint police team from Patna and Saranleft for Sitamarhi.

On Thursday morning, police teams from Patna, Saran and Sitamarhi conducted a raid and recovered the boy from Fatima Lodge. The police arrested two more people, namely Kaushal, Gautam and Samir. Raushan knew Sunny's family. The five abductors, Sunny and his father Lalan were brought to Patna.

"On Tuesday afternoon, when I was returning home from school, four persons in an SUV kidnapped him," Sunny said, narrating his ordeal. "Of the four people I knew Raushan as he hails from our colony." Sunny said the abductors kept him a room in Sitamarhi and threatened to kill him if he raised his voice.

Police sources said the mastermind behind the crime was Raushan. Raushan had plotted the crime while seated in an open field in Lalganj. He was helped in the crime by Ranjan, a criminal from Sonepur area. The police are yet to arrest Ranjan in the kidnapping case.