The Tribune, February 26, 2005

Panipat mechanic was kidnapped: SP
Tribune News Service

Panipat, February 25
The Panipat police claims to have solved one of the three kidnapping and disappearance cases that have taken place during the past 14 days. “We have already solved the case of a mechanic Narender (22), of Chamrara village, who was kidnapped on the night of February 12. Two suspects, Jai Kumar of Ghagseena village and his accomplice Mukesh of Naryana village have been arrested in this regard,” according to the Panipat SP, Ms Suman Manjri. “It took us 10 days to file an FIR of kidnapping in this case as initially we thought he just went missing. However, after verification we came to know that he had been kidnapped,” Ms Manjri said in reply to a query regarding delay in registration of the FIR under Section 364 of the IPC the Israna police station.

However, it is feared that Narender might have been killed and his body thrown in the Moonak branch canal near Ghagseena village by the suspected abductors on February 13. Some of his clothes and shoes were recovered from near the bank of Moonak canal a few days ago. Surjit husband of Chamrara Sarpanch Kitabo Devi, said the team of Israna police station had conveyed about Narender’s murder to them. Several teams, including villagers and police personnel tried to recover the body from the canal but failed, he added. On the other hand Jasbir’s father Vijay Singh said he had reported about the disappearance of his son on Tuesday. Jasbir has been missing since February 17. He had gone to attend an official meeting in Panipat. It is feared that he might have been kidnapped by some persons who had reportedly given some money to him for getting government jobs.

“I do not think that the Class IX student Pankaj (14) had been kidnapped. There is no motive behind his kidnapping. Firstly, no ransom call was made, secondly had he been kidnapping he would have not been released in such a manner”, the SP said. Pankaj, who disappeared from Dawar Colony on February 13, reached his house on February 20. He was injured. Pankaj said he was abducted by four persons a few minutes after he reached home. He was kept in a room situated in sugarcane fields, beaten up to reveal his father Sulekh Chand’s mobile number and then thrown from a truck near Asandh fly over on February 20 when the abductors came to know that his father was not a rich man. Meanwhile, his mother Rekha Devi said the police had recorded Pankaj’s statement but had done nothing to nab the suspected kidnappers.