Punjab: Seven-year-old boy rescued within 24 hrs, kidnapper killed in gunfight

Ludhiana : The Punjab Police rescued a seven-year-old boy within 24 hours of his abduction for a ₹1-crore ransom with the main accused being killed in an exchange of fire with cops at Mandour Khera village on Nabha Road in Patiala, police said on Thursday. Three policemen were also injured in the gunfight, they said.

₹1-crore ransom with the main accused being killed in an exchange of fire with cops at Mandour Khera village on Nabha Road in Patiala, police said on Thursday. Three policemen were also injured in the gunfight, they said.” title=”The Punjab Police rescued a seven-year-old boy within 24 hours of his abduction for a ₹1-crore ransom with the main accused being killed in an exchange of fire with cops at Mandour Khera village on Nabha Road in Patiala, police said on Thursday. Three policemen were also injured in the gunfight, they said.” /> ₹1-crore ransom with the main accused being killed in an exchange of fire with cops at Mandour Khera village on Nabha Road in Patiala, police said on Thursday. Three policemen were also injured in the gunfight, they said.” title=”The Punjab Police rescued a seven-year-old boy within 24 hours of his abduction for a ₹1-crore ransom with the main accused being killed in an exchange of fire with cops at Mandour Khera village on Nabha Road in Patiala, police said on Thursday. Three policemen were also injured in the gunfight, they said.” />

Director general of police Gaurav Yadav has announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh for the police team in successfully rescuing the child.

Cabinet minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who handed over the rescued boy to the family at Seehan Daud village on Thursday evening, warned that “people indulging in such heinous crimes would face encounters as there is no place for such people in our ‘rangla’ Punjab”.

Bhawkirat Singh, a Class 1 student, was abducted by two motorcycle-borne kidnappers when he was playing outside his house in Seehan Daud village in Khanna around 6pm on Wednesday, the police said. Boy’s grandfather Gurjant Singh, who is a farmer and a commission agent, informed the police about the kidnapping.

The main accused killed in the encounter was identified as Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Seehan Daud, while his two aides Bhinder and Harpreet of Amargarh were arrested.

Addressing a press conference at police lines in Patiala, DIG Mandeep Singh Sidhu said as soon as police received information about the kidnapping, different teams were formed to trace the abductors and rescue the child.

It was well planned kidnapping and the accused had rented a Toyota Fortuner in which they kept roaming with the child at several locations. The motive behind the crime was to get easy money, the DIG said.

A meeting was then fixed for Thursday where the family was scheduled to handover the ransom money to the accused and get the child released, where Harpreet and Bhinder were to collect the money. But before it could happen, the police arrested the duo from Nawapind of Amargarh, the DIG said.

Acting swiftly on intelligence inputs, police tracked the key accused to Mandour village on Nabha Road. When confronted, Jaspreet Singh attempted to escape in the Fortuner and opened fire at the police. In retaliation, Jaspreet, the main accused, was neutralised on the spot, the DIG said.

Upon searching the SUV, the police team found the boy who was scared, Sidhu said.

A 32-bore pistol and the motorcycle used in the crime were also recovered. DIG Sidhu acknowledged the key role played by inspector Shaminder Singh (CIA Patiala in-charge), inspector Binny Dhillon (special branch inc-harge), and inspector Harry Boparai in the operation.

The injured police personnel included constable Rupinder Singh and home guards jawans Shivji Giri and Baljinder Singh.

The DIG said Punjab has no place for kidnappers and anti-social elements. He said chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav were personally overseeing the operation.

Recognising the swift and efficient police action, the DGP announced a ₹10 lakh cash reward and promotions for the personnel involved. The operation was led by Khanna SSP Jyoti Yadav, Patiala SSP Nanak Singh and Malerkotla SSP Gagan Ajit Singh.

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Key accused had returned

from Canada 4 days ago

Jaspreet Singh, the main accused in the kidnapping case, who was killed in a police encounter, had returned from Canada just four days ago, where he had been residing on a study visa.

According to the police, Jaspreet targeted the family of Bhawkirat Singh due to their large, prominent house in the village. He hatched a plan to kidnap the boy and initially demanded a ransom of ₹1 crore. After the family expressed their inability to arrange such a large amount in a short time, the ransom was reduced to ₹60 lakh and then further to ₹40 lakh, the police said.