The Tribune, February 10 and 12, 2005

Student kidnapped for ransom
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, February 9
The Bihar scare of abduction and kidnapping of school students seems to have reached this district also. The parents of a nine-years-old student of DAV School at Hodal Town, 60 km from here, got a shock this morning when someone on the telephone told them to pay Rs 15 lakh for safe return of their son, who is reportedly missing since February 7. The police had registered a case, but it is still to trace kidnappers, who are stated to be in Alwar district of Rajasthan.

According to the complaint lodged with the police, the boy, Anand, alias Golu, son of Army jawan, Kishan Chand, presently posted at Nasik, failed to return home from the school on Monday. It is reported that while the police was still to launch a hunt, a phone call was received by the parents of the victim at Sainik Colony of Hodal, about the alleged abduction for ransom.

It is stated that the kidnappers, calling from an unidentified place in Alwar district, told the family to give Rs 15 lakh as ransom, if they wanted to get back their son. The victim, a student of class IV, had gone to school, alongwith his elder brother. The school is located at a distance of about 500 to 600 metres from the house of the victim. This is the first case of kidnapping of a school kid for ransom in the past two years in Hodal sub-division. It is learnt that a boy was kidnapped in same manner about three-and-half years ago and was reportedly freed after the ransom was paid. The incident has created panic among the residents here and the nearby areas. The police has reportedly contacted the Rajasthan police in this connection.

Residents gherao DSP
Kidnapping of school boy
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, February 11
Hundreds of residents, including a large number of schoolchildern, took out a march and staged a demonstration outside the office of the SDM at Hodal today in protest against the failure of the police to trace out the missing school boy, who had allegedly been kidnapped. They gheraoed offices of the authorities, including the DSP, and demanded immediate action to recover the boy. The nine-year-old Anand, a student of DAV school, did not reach home from the school on Monday. The protesters submitted a memorandum to the officials concerned.

While the family of the victim was still waiting for any information about the whereabouts of the child, the police has unable to get any clue regarding the kidnappers so far. A controversy also seems to have arisen over the alleged demand of ransom by the abductors. The police has failed to confirm the report that the family of the victim had received a call demanding a ransom of Rs 15 lakh for the safe return of Anand though his family members had claimed that he had been abducted for ransom and the family had received a call yesterday.

Police officials said a hunt had been launched and some teams had been dispatched to various places, including the neighbouring states of U.P and Rajasthan. The victim Anand Kumar Teotia, alias Golu, is son of an Army Havaldar posted at Nasik. It is reported that the police was also working on the theory that a relative or a person close to the family could also be involved in the incident, after it came to light that a threat had been made by a female relative of the family after some dispute a few months ago. The family members said it was impossible for them to pay any ransom due to weak financial position.