Police in Naugachia have launched a manhunt to arrest a private firm employee who has allegedly killed the son of a businessman from Noida.

Twenty-year-old Babloo Singh had gone missing from Noida on August 20. His family owns a jewellery shop there. The Noida police probing into the case arrived in Naugachia on August 29. Their prime suspect was Jitendar Singh, an employee of a private firm in Noida.

Pradeep Kumar, the station house officer of Dadri police station in Noida, said Babloo’s father Narayan Chand had lodged a complaint that his son was kidnapped and the abductors demanded Rs 40 lakh as ransom on August 24. When the police traced the number from which Chand received the call, they were led to Jitendar. The call was made from Babloo’s number and the police traced the location of the mobile to Naugachia.

The family knew Babloo had left with Jitendar for a visit to Vaishnodevi in Jammu.

The officer said Jitendar used to stay at Babloo’s house at Gautam Buddha Nagar for two years. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Dadri police station. Jitendar is a resident of Hario village under the jurisdiction of Bihpur police station in Naugachia.

The Noida police, however, could not apprehend Jitendar. His brother-in-law, Chandan Kumar, was detained from Kaluachak under Gopalpur police station. The Noida police returned with Chandan on Saturday.

Pradeep Kumar said Chandan allegedly confessed to the abduction and murder of Babloo on August 28. The officer quoted Chandan as saying that Babloo was allegedly murdered after being drugged. He said: “On August 20, Jitendar convinced Babloo to accompany him to Vaishnodevi, but took him to Kaluachak in Naugachia via Bhagalpur on August 23. Jitendar called Chandan Kumar and another unidentified person once he reached Naugachia and kept Babloo hostage.”

Chandan said Babloo was killed on August 28 and his body dumped at Abhiya Ghat at Gopalpur. The body as not been recovered yet and Jitendar is absconding.

Naugachia police have circulated Jitendar’s photograph to all police stations in the area. Naugachia superintendent of police Anand Kumar Singh said: “We have launched a manhunt for Jitendar and the others involved in the case. Whether Babloo was killed or not cannot be confirmed until and unless the victim’s body is recovered. It is difficult to say anything just on the basis of the confession of a co-accused.”

It is crucial for the Naugachia police to find Jitendar as soon as possible as the death of Pritam Bhattacharjee, a research scholar from Assam, is still fresh in everybody’s mind. Pritam’s body was found on July 15 under a foot overbridge near Kataria railway station in Bhagalpur district. The police had failed to solve the mystery.