Patna, July 17: Within 12 hours of abduction, a 10-year boy was rescued from the clutches of his kidnappers today. Two persons have been arrested.

Bhojpur superintendent of police (SP) M.R. Naik said Ajeet Kumar was kidnapped by a former domestic help at their house Kusum Devi and her daughter on Saturday evening around 5.30pm.

He was playing in front of his house at Dalahi Road then.

The victim’s grandfather, Ram Laddu Choudhary, had lodged a missing case with Nawada police station.

The abductors had allegedly demanded Rs 30 lakh as ransom for the release of Ajeet, a Class V student of a public school in Ara.

Ajeet’s mother Reena Choudhary, who runs a beauty parlour in New Delhi, received an anonymous call around 11.45pm on Saturday. The caller claimed that Ajeet was in her custody and demanded the ransom money. Reena immediately informed the director-general (DGP) of police, Neel Mani.

The DGP directed the Bhojpur SP to recover the boy at the earliest. A police team swung into action after tracing the calls. The team led by R.K. Dubey, the station house officer of Nawada police station, conducted a raid on Bank Colony in Ara and rescued the boy around 3am.

Naik told The Telegraph over phone that the mobile phone used for making the ransom call had been seized and Kusum and her 22-year-old daughter Radha alias Priya had been taken into custody.

“We had to move cautiously because a life was at risk. Any mistake could have been fatal,” Naik said.

Dubey said Kusum had masterminded the kidnapping. “It is being verified whether she had any links with criminal gangs operating in the district or not,” he said, adding that the boy was recovered from Kusum’s house at Vishnu Nagar.

Police said the boy did not raise an alarm and went with the abductors because he knew them. He had no clue that he was being kidnapped.

“We have decided to put the case on a speedy trial to ensure prosecution of the accused at the earliest. Necessary formalities are being completed,” Naik said.

The SP said the police have gathered enough evidence against the accused. “The printouts of the ransom calls to New Delhi are being obtained,” he added.