Swift coordination and a multi-team operation helped the Panipat police crack the kidnapping case of 12-year-old Kabir, son of a woman Executive Engineer (XEN) posted at the Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS), and rescue him safely after an encounter in Rohtak on Saturday.
After the encounter, two accused – Adesh and Vishal – sustained bullet injuries, while a woman accomplice, Sharda, was arrested from the vehicle used by the kidnappers.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had hatched the kidnapping plan just a week ago to clear debts running into lakhs of rupees and to live a luxurious lifestyle.
As per the police, Adesh, 26, the mastermind, was preparing for a government job at a coaching centre in Panipat, where he came in contact with 24-year-old Sharda. Both reportedly aspired to a luxurious lifestyle, and Adesh had accumulated significant debt.
Police said Vishal, a friend of Adesh who lived in the thermal plant colony, collected information about Kabir. The accused hired a self-drive car from Samalkha and lured another boy from the thermal colony to bring Kabir to them. They kidnapped the child after his mother went to office and subsequently took him to Uttar Pradesh.
The kidnappers later made a WhatsApp call to Kabir’s mother using the child’s phone and demanded a ransom of Rs 1.5 crore.
The family immediately informed the police. Superintendent of Police Bhupender Singh constituted six teams, including personnel from all three CIAs units, and handed over the matter to CIA-2 under Inspector Virender. The SP himself monitored the operation and coordinated efforts that ultimately led to Kabir’s safe rescue and the arrest of three accused.
The police searched CCTV cameras and managed to identify the car despite the accused having obscured its number plate. The police eventually traced the vehicle and obtained details that helped track down the kidnappers.
SP Bhupender Singh told The Tribune that the major challenge was to bring back the child back safely, as every passing minute increased the risk to his life.
He said the accused frequently changed their locations between Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to misguide the police teams. Two police teams operated in Uttar Pradesh and four teams worked in Haryana, maintaining close coordination throughout the operation, he added.
We also had better coordination with the adjoining Uttar Pradesh police too, the SP added.
Two more accused were on the run and efforts are under way to arrest them, the SP asserted. The injured accused, currently admitted to PGIMS, Rohtak, would be brought on production warrant for further interrogation, the SP maintained.
SP Singh warned that those involved in criminal activities would not be spared and would face strict legal action.
