Patna: Police seem to be reaping the benefits of the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at important locations in the city.

The CCTV footages have helped the police detect serious crimes ranging from kidnapping for ransom to chain snatching to murders.

The latest case that has been solved with the help of CCTVs is the kidnapping of seven-year-old boy Saurabh Kumar from Jaganpura on Monday. The police recovered the kidnapped boy from Sonepur in Saran within nine hours of the incident.

The identity of the kidnappers was ascertained with the help of the CCTV footage. The footage obtained from the locality showed two kidnappers escaping with Saurabh towards Sonepur on a motorcycle. The special investigation team comprising city superintendent of police (east) Vishal Sharma and additional SP Rakesh Dubey swung into action and recovered the boy safely.

Last Friday, another case of kidnapping was solved with the help of CCTVs. Raunak Kumar, 14, a Class IX student of a reputable public school, was found dead at a shop in Patna City. Raunak, son of property dealer Sudhir Kumar, was kidnapped from Kumhrar under the jurisdiction of Agamkuan police station when he was going to school.

"In both the kidnapping cases, CCTV footages played a key role in ascertaining the identities of the suspects," said Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj on Tuesday. The SSP added that on earlier occasions, the CCTV footages made the task of the police easier to solve cases of theft of motorcycle, cash loot and chain snatchings.

The murder of BJP leader Avinash Kumar was captured by a CCTV installed at a nearby temple on August 7, 2015. Avinash was shot dead from a close range while going for a morning walk near the temple in Daldali in Patna. The video footage of the shootout was obtained from the nearby CCTV.

Maharaaj said the footages of the crimes would be produced in court as evidence. Earlier, electronic evidence were not admissible in the court. "But such evidences are now admissible in the court. The police produce even call details record as evidence in court," he said.

A total of 140 CCTV cameras have been installed on the main city roads. The cameras were installed after a review of crime scenes and exit routes of the offenders.

"This is why the criminals are caught within hours of the incident," said a station house officer.