Boy kidnapped for ₹75 lakh ransom rescued, 3 of a family held

Police said they rescued a three-year-old boy who was kidnapped on Monday for ransom in Outer Delhi’s Bawana. They also arrested three of a family in the case.

The suspects include an 18-year-old man, Dhruv, his older sister and their mother. The police did not reveal the names of the women.

According to Gaurav Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (outer-north), the family kidnapped the boy to fund the wedding of Dhruv’s sister after her engagement was called off last month due to lack of money.

Police said Dhruv used a software to change his voice to avoid detection, while another helped him hide his phone number while making the ransom calls, said the DCP.

“In Dhruv’s mobile phone, we found the kidnapped boy’s photographs and three audio recordings in which he made a demand for ₹75 lakh ransom,” said the officer.

The boy lives with his parents in Bawana. His father deals in used cars and owns an Audi. “Dhruv had noticed that the boy’s relatives owned iPhones and the Audi, so he assumed that the family could afford to pay the ransom,” said the officer, adding that Dhruv lived in the same neighbourhood.

Just to be sure, some weeks ago, Dhruv had posed as a factory owner and telephoned the boy’s father to know his paying capacity. “Dhruv made the call on the pretext of selling a Honda Civic car. When the boy’s father agreed to buy the car, he concluded that he had the money to pay the ransom,” said the DCP.

“Dhruv’s sister was to be married later this year, but the family did not have the means to fund the wedding. He had proposed the kidnapping plan to his mother and sister earlier this year, but they had turned it down,” said the DCP.

But last month, the woman’s engagement was called off, the DCP said. Dhruv was then able to allegedly convince his mother and sister to help him kidnap the boy.

Dhruv, who had allegedly been getting friendly with the boy by offering him toys and eatables for the past many week, allegedly chose Sunday morning to carry out his plan.

“Dhruv lured the boy by offering him soft drink at around 10.30 am. He then stuffed him in his transport vehicle along with hid household goods. The child was taken to Dhruv’s new house where his hands and legs, and mouth were bound using tape. The family then hid him under a pile of clothes kept in a room,” said the DCP.

When the boy’s parents couldn’t trace him, they approached the police. Investigators checked CCTV footage and found find Dhruv’s vehicle near the crime spot. “While questioning Dhruv, we checked his mobile phone to find the boy’s photos as well as the ransom demands in the form of recorded audio clips,” said the DCP, adding that the boy was recovered within six hours of his disappearance.

As it turned out, the boy’s father wasn’t even aware of the ransom demand until the police told him. “He had ignored calls and messages from the kidnapper as the app used by them didn’t reveal his number,” said another investigator.