Two cartridges of .765 calibre bullets, each recovered from the spot of Prince Kumar’s alleged abduction, have raised suspicion of the victim’s father’s role in the disappearance of the boy on Wednes- day morning.
Prince (13) went missing after he had gone out for a stroll around 6am. Sources had said two men on a motorbike arrived, fired shots and took away the boy.
On Thursday, the police said they suspected Mukesh Kumar Singh, the boy’s father, of having a role in the incident. Mukesh has cases of murders against him and is also locked in a fight with his close relatives over a piece of land in Bihta.
Prince, who had come to his home at the Mahavir Nagar locality under the jurisdiction of Bihta police station area for holiday two days back, went missing since Wednesday early morning. His father had accused three of his family members of kidnapping Prince adding that a ransom of Rs 50 lakh had been demanded through a letter, for his safe release.
“Right now, our primary concern is the safety of the boy and we are trying hard to ensure that he gets recovered soon. The police have come to know that Prince is the son of Mukesh from his first wife, who, according to him, had passed away a few years back owing to some disease. However, Mukesh does not have a death certificate, even though he says she was being treated for hepatitis. The man is also not clearly stating the name of the hospital where she was being treated and neither the day or year when she died. After she passed away, Mukesh married the younger sister of his wife and had got a son from her. It is strange that neither he nor his wife, are able to clearly state the concrete circumstances under which his first wife had died,” city superintendent of police (SP) Shivdeep Lande told The Telegraph on Thursday.
According to the FIR lodged, the boy was out strolling around 5.30am when two men came on a motorbike, fired two shots, and took Prince away.
“One of the shots was fired at his residence which passed through the window. The police recovered both the cartridges and they are of .765 caliber. On August 4, 2014, Mukesh’s father was murdered. Then his younger sister Nishu had lodged an FIR accusing Mukesh of the crime over a property dispute. Even in that murder, the same caliber bullet was used. There could be a chance that the same person or persons have given shape to this incident and the murder,” the officer said.
He added: “Moreover, Patna is witnessing a cold wave. A 13-year-old gets out of the house early morning for a stroll creates doubts. It is absolutely dark during that time. How can a kid just walk out of the house so early in the morning suddenly? The whole incident raises doubts and a probe is required. Mukesh had alleged that his younger sister, the wife of his younger brother who too was murdered two years back, and her brother-in-law have kidnapped his son. He also said that he got a ransom letter that was thrown into his house. Kidnappers generally make ransom calls by calling and not writing letters.”
The SP has served a showcause notice to one Suneet Kumar, an officer at the Bihta police station, for not coming up with the case diary in connection with the murder of Mukesh’s father. “We have asked for the case diary but the man (Suneet) couldn’t produce the same and hence he has been served a showcause notice. However, keeping these aside, the primary motive of the police right now is to recover Prince safely as a delay can very well turn tragic,” Lande said.
Prince studies in a Chandigarh-based school and had arrived home for his winter vacation. The incident had occured in the Domnia Pul area of Bihta.
