A 14-year-old boy, Ishan Gurung, allegedly abducted from a forest village located on the outskirts of Siliguri on August 23, has not yet been traced, prompting Darjeeling district police on Tuesday announced a cash reward of ₹2 lakh for people providing "credible information" in the case.
The cash reward apart, Darjeeling police have also furnished two cellphone numbers (9733300575 and 9147889058) to enable people to share information with the police about Ishan.
“We are making every possible effort with full dedication to trace and recover Ishan Gurung.... We request the public’s kind cooperation and assistance in this matter. If you have any credible information that can help us locate him, please come forward. A reward of ₹2,00,000/- (Rupees Two Lakhs) will be given for valuable information leading to his recovery,” said the police statement.
Last Saturday, Sunita Ghale, a resident of 10th Mile forest village near Sevoke under the Kurseong sub-division of Darjeeling district, filed a complaint at the Sevoke police outpost, saying her son Ishan was picked up by a person in an unidentified vehicle.
“He has been abducted,” the mother stated in the complaint.
Sources said Ishan, a Class VII student of a Nepali-medium school in Siliguri, lived with his parents, Sunita Ghale and Kishor Gurung.
Anguished residents staged blockades on NH10, alleging the police were not doing much to trace the boy.
Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, also flayed the police and the administration for their "extremely slow reaction".
"Extremely slow reaction by police and administration has caused the people to outrage, who have had to resort to blocking a portion of NH-10, demanding expedited police action. Under Trinamool Congress rule, the critical 'Chicken's neck' region is witnessing increasing crimes, yet the Bengal government has turned a blind eye to these,” said Bista, who also referred to recent jewellery store robberies and trafficking attempts.
“We want the chief minister to form a special investigation team without delay, so that the child can be traced and brought back home safely,” the MP added.
