Son of witness in Asaram case kidnapped, manages to flee

Shahjahanpur: The son of a witness in the murder of Kripal Singh, a key witness in a rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, was allegedly kidnapped in Shahjahanpur on Monday, police said on Wednesday.

16-year-old Dheeraj Vishkarma was allegedly kidnapped when he was standing before his house, police said, adding that a case in this connection was filed on Tuesday.

Dheeraj is the son of Ramshankar Vishkarma, witness in the murder of Kripal Singh, who as shot dead on July 10, 2015.

Meanwhile, the boy is said to have returned home, giving a slip to his alleged captors who have taken him to Meerut.

His father Ramashankar Vishkarma had appeared before a Shahjahanpur court as a witness on June 7 in the murder case but his statement could not be recorded and has now been called to the court again on June 28.

Ramashankar feared that his son was kidnapped to pressure him not to depose against Asaram's aides.

The father and brother of the rape victim are also witnesses in the murder case.

Dheeraj, who has since returned home, told media persons that he was standing before his house on Monday when two car borne men arrived and took him away after making him unconscious and when he gained senses he found himself in Meerut.

Dheeraj said it was when his kidnappers had left him in the car to make some purchases that he fled to the Meerut railway station where the GRP personnel put him in a train to Shahjahanpur and he reached home.

SP City Dinesh Tripathi said that after registering a kidnapping case, the police went to Vishkarma's house for making some inquiries and found the victim at home.

"The matter is being investigated," the SP added.

On April 24, the self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was sentenced to life-long jail term by a special POCSO court for raping a teenage girl nearly five years ago in his ashram near Jodhpur.