Patna, Jan. 2: The sorrow of death of a kidnapped boy subdued the joy of Bihar police over the release of a businessman from the clutches of his abductors today.
Three teenagers had abducted four-and-a-half-year-old Neeraj Kumar on December 22 to make some fast bucks. The trio killed Neeraj the same day and gave a ransom call to his father, Ram Pravesh Rai, on December 23.
The body of Neeraj, a resident of Terasia diara in Vaishali district, is yet to be recovered. But his woollen clothes have been discovered on the basis of the statement of the three arrested teenagers, Vidya Kumar Rai, Mantu Rai and Lakhu Rai, aged between 17 and 19 years. “The woollen clothes of the victim have been recovered on the basis of the statement of the three youths arrested in connection with his kidnapping and subsequent murder,” said Vaishali superintendent of police (SP) Sujeet Kumar.
Vidya, a B Com student at a Hajipur college, had plotted the abduction on December 10. He took his two neighbours into confidence and shared the plan of kidnapping Neeraj for ransom because his father had sold off land worth Rs 15-16 lakh a few months ago.
The police said Vidya, whom Neeraj called uncleji, took him to a banana field, about 2km from the village, on his bicycle on December 22, offered him biscuits and then strangled him to death using a long thread.
The trio demanded ransom from the victim’s family the next day using a mobile phone. Vidya frequented Neeraj’s house after the abduction to collect information about the police action.
The SP said: “We have seized the SIM card used for demanding ransom.” Though the state police failed to rescue little Neeraj from the clutches of his murderers, their pressure on the abductors of Banka businessman paved the way of his safe release.
Director-general of police Neel Mani said Neelesh Kumar Seth, a jeweller abducted while he was going to Deoghar from Katoria in Banka district on a motorcycle on December 30, was released by his alleged abductors today because of intensive raids on different hideouts of the criminals in Banka and its neighbouring areas.
