STF nabs child’s kidnappers after encounter in Sonepat

Sonepat: A late-night encounter between the Bahadurgarh unit of the Special Task Force (STF) and armed criminals in Sonepat district led to the arrest of five men allegedly involved in a kidnapping-for-ransom case, police said on Saturday.The case relates to the abduction of the son of a nursing college owner in Jhajjar, where the gang had allegedly demanded ₹5 crore for his release.On March 4, an eight-year-old boy was kidnapped in broad daylight from a village in Haryana, triggering a multi-agency search. He was traced near the Rohtak–Sonepat bypass hours later and reunited with his family.Acting on specific intelligence, STF teams tracked the suspects to the Mehndipur area of Sonepat, where they were travelling in a Bolero. STF in-charge Inspector Rakesh Singh said the police intercepted the vehicle and asked the occupants to surrender, but the accused allegedly opened fire with intent to kill. Bullets struck the bulletproof jackets of ASI Vikas and ASI Dharambir, narrowly saving their lives.In retaliatory fire, two key accused — Chitranjan alias Manjeet and Vishwajeet alias Vinny, both residents of Kansala village in Rohtak — sustained bullet injuries in their legs. Three others — Deepanshu alias Chhota, Ashok alias Shoki, and Rohit — were also nabbed at the spot.Two pistols, live cartridges and empty shells were recovered. The injured were admitted to Sonepat Civil Hospital, while the remaining accused were handed over to Murthal police station for further investigation.Police said all accused have prior criminal records, and further probe is underway.