Bareilly SUV crash twist: 3 men killed in mishap turn out to be kidnappers, 2 boys abducted from Gurgaon survive

BAREILLY: In a startling turn of events, three men who died after their SUV crashed into a parked tanker in Bareilly on Sunday evening, have been revealed as kidnappers. The driver and two abducted boys, aged six and three, who were in the vehicle, suffered injuries and are undergoing treatment, while the boys’ father who had also been kidnapped, was rescued from a village in Bareilly, police said on Monday.

Manmohan Singh, 30, a resident of Tanda Sikanderpur in Bareilly, Sikandar from Pilibhit and Vishesh from Rampur were travelling towards Delhi with the two boys, residents of Gurgaon, when their car allegedly speeding at 150kmph, collided with the tanker, killing the three accused on the spot. The driver, Prince, a resident of Rampur, and the two boys, survived with critical injuries and are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Bareilly.

SSP Anurag Arya told TOI, “A phone from one of the deceased was recovered where a video was found indicating that the minors and their father had been kidnapped. A call detail record (CDR) was sought and an SOG team deployed, following which Manoj was rescued.”

He added that Manoj’s father, Nathu, knew of the abduction but did not inform police. He was detained and later told them that Manoj had been confined in a room in a Bareilly village. “Preliminary investigation revealed that Manmohan and Manoj were relatives who were working in Gurgaon. He was in a relationship with Manoj’s niece who wanted to marry him, which Manoj and Nathu didn’t approve of. Prima facie, Singh committed the crime to avoid marriage but this is not conclusive,” the SSP said.

“A missing complaint had been filed last week in Gurgaon by Manoj’s wife, Pooja, alleging that her husband and children were kidnapped,” Arya said, adding that the case pertaining to this matter will be handed over to Haryana Police while the accident will be investigated here.

Police said the accused had serious criminal antecedents, including cases of dacoity, robbery, theft, and violations under the Arms Act and Gangster Act.

The crash also claimed the lives of two motorcycle riders, Sahabzad Khan and Mumtaz of CB Ganj, who rammed into the mangled SUV. Locals alleged that the tanker had been left on the roadside since an earlier accident a day before. “The truck was heavy and required heavy machines to remove it from the site,” said the SSP.