Minor boy’s kidnapping: Four arrested, ransom plot busted

Prayagraj: A joint team of the SOG, surveillance cell and Manda police on Friday arrested four men for allegedly kidnapping a minor boy from Saray Kala village recently. Police also seized two cars and four mobile phones from their possession.Those arrested were-- Ujjawal Sharma alias Vivek Sharma (26) of Saray Kala, Rajkumar Pandey (38) of Meja, Ashutosh Pradhan alias Himanshu (28) of Ghazipur and Nitish Kumar (26) of Ballia. The boy was kidnapped on March 7 from outside his house and rescued the next day from Varanasi. Police said the key conspirator, Ujjwal Sharma, is a cousin of the boy's father. Ashutosh Pradhan, a maternal cousin of Ujjwal, was also involved. According to investigators, a financial dispute between the two triggered the plot. A few days before the incident, Ujjwal had given some money to Ashutosh. When he asked for it back, Ashutosh allegedly claimed he could not repay the amount. Ujjwal then proposed kidnapping his cousin's son, telling Ashutosh that the boy's father had recently purchased land and "likely had cash in hand", police said. They planned to demand a ransom of Rs 20–30 lakh, officers added. Ashutosh later roped in his acquaintances Prashant Rai and Nitish Kumar. Ujjwal asked Rajkumar Pandey to arrange and drive a vehicle in return for payment. On March 6, Rajkumar collected a car from Prashant in Ghazipur. The next day, he met Ashutosh at Dighiya T-junction and the two headed to Saray Kala. As per the plan, Rajkumar drove the car while Ashutosh, wearing a mask, waited inside. When the child stepped out of his school van, Ashutosh picked him up, put him in the vehicle and told him he was being taken to his maternal uncle's house. The accused crossed the pontoon bridge and travelled via Bhadohi towards Varanasi. At Syed Raza intersection in Chandauli, Prashant and Nitish joined them in another car. The child was shifted to their vehicle, and Rajkumar was told to return only after ransom money was arranged. He later abandoned the car near Mahevaghat. Police said the child was kept in a vacant house belonging to Ashutosh's in-laws in Ramnagar, Varanasi. During this period, Ujjwal reportedly monitored police movements and sent updates to the gang through WhatsApp statuses. As police teams traced the movement to Varanasi, the kidnappers panicked. Ashutosh then took the child near Prakash Palace Guest House, wrote the mother's phone number on a slip provided by Ujjwal and instructed the boy to hand it to the security guard. He then fled. The child was later found safely, and a case was registered. Further investigation is underway, police said.