Abdur Rahman and Badal. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Nov. 23: Police rescued Class V student of Delhi Public School, Kalinga, from Khurda last night and arrested 27-year-old Badal on charges of abduction.

The victim, Abdur Rahman, had gone missing from the city after his tuition classes on November 20. Badal, who had picked up the boy from his class, was also missing along with his wife and one-year-old child.

“On Sunday evening, Badal uncle asked me to accompany him and instead of returning home by the regular route, he took me to an isolated area. He said that he was going to repair his laptop. Later, he called somebody and threw me into an Indica,” said Rahman.

Rahman was rescued from Sardhapur area at Khurda and was later handed over to his parents at Purighat police station around 10.30pm last night.

The accused, Zulfikar (alias Badal) and his wife Zanar (alias Santosini Nayak) have also been arrested.

“There were two other persons besides Badal who terrorised me with a gun. They also did not serve me food for almost two days,” Rahman said.

Police sources said Badal had gone to Khurda and had made Abdur call his father Seikh Ahesanul Haque on his cell phone. He then demanded a ransom of Rs 12 lakh.

After this, Abdur’s parents deposited around Rs 25,000 in two separate bank accounts. The police had traced the call and had kept an eye on the movements of Badal and his associates before arresting them.

“Efforts are on to arrest other members involved in the kidnapping of the boy,” said deputy commissioner of police S. Praveen Kumar.

Badal, who lived on the top floor of Nimasahi building where the Haque family also resided, had earlier left his wife Zanar at one of his relatives place at Khurda a couple of days before abducting Abdur.

A missing person case was registered at Purighat police station after Abdur’s parents lodged a complaint. Subsequently, a case under section 364, 120 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code was registered after there was a demand for ransom.

Police sources said Badal, who hailed from Olavara area under Rajkanika block of Kendrapara district, was working as an agent with SBI Life Insurance.

He had criminal antecedents and a case was pending against him with the Rajkanika police.

Badal is said to have had links with Muna, the son of a known gangster. He had allegedly duped many people, particularly those from the minority community, in the past.

Badal planned the kidnapping as he had become bankrupt and targeted Abdur, whose father had recently returned from Saudi Arabia.

Abdur’s family members breathed a sigh of relief after their son was rescued last night.

According to Haque, they had never thought that Badal, whom they had treated as a family member, would kidnap their son.

“We shared a good relationship with Badal’s family. He used to pick my son from tuition classes whenever the rickshaw puller did not turn up,” said Abdur’s mother Yasmin.