A 13-year-old boy, son of a jeweller at Gandhi Nagar in East Delhi, was found dead on Wednesday morning, a day after he was allegedly kidnapped from near his house.
The body of the victim, Utkarsh, was discovered by some schoolchildren inside the drain in front of the Ramlila Maidan in Geeta Colony, which is just two-three kilometres away from the boy’s house.
According to the police, the victim’s family had received a call demanding Rs.1 crore in ransom but before they could negotiate with the kidnappers or the police could take any step, the family received information that Utkarsh’s body had been found.
Utkarsh went missing around 2-30 p.m. on Tuesday when he was on his way back home from school. He was a Class VIII student at Vivekanand School in Anand Vihar.
“He is seen coming towards his house in the footage of a CCTV camera installed outside a private school near his house some time before disappearing. This means that someone kidnapped him from near his house. Also, it points out that the kidnapper was known to the boy because no one in the locality saw him being forcibly taken away,” said a police officer.
The boy’s family approached the police around 3 p.m. when he did not return home. A missing case was immediately registered. Two calls were made by the kidnappers around 7-30 p.m. and they demanded a ransom of Rs.1 crore. “We are tracking the numbers and their locations and the kidnapper will be arrested soon,” the police officer added.
The investigators are assuming that the kidnappers were known to the victim’s father, most likely someone who worked with him, and had an idea about his property. The police are questioning a number of people including relatives and people working at Utkarsh’s father Mukesh Verma’s shop.
The person who informed the police about Utkarsh’s body said he saw cut marks on his throat and wrist. The body was sent for post-mortem on Wednesday morning. The exact cause of death will be ascertained only after the report is out.
Area residents are under tremendous shock after the incident and are raising questions over their security. “How can we be sure of our security when a boy gets kidnapped from right outside his house and his body is thrown into a nearby drain?” asked an area resident, Arvinder Singh.
