The two-year-old kidnapped boy from Vasai who was recently traced to Varanasi was handed over to his parents on Monday morning, the police said. The boy was kidnapped by two local boys, including a minor, to demand Rs 3 lakh from the father of the boy. However, they were nabbed before making any ransom call. A preliminary inquiry has revealed that the main accused, Ganesh Vikas Bind (19), is a fan of police drama Crime Patrol and took his inspiration from an episode.
Pratik Chorasiya was playing outside his house on April 25, when the minor picked him up and later handed him over to Bind, who took him to Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. According to inspector Subhash Markad from Waliv police station, after receiving the missing complaint he questioned several local boys and during the investigation he found the minor’s behaviour suspicious, so he asked him about the boy. The minor then spilled the beans and police teams were dispatched to UP, keeping the local police in the loop. In Foolpur town in Jaunpur, a local sarpanch noticed Bind roaming with Pratik, caught him and later handed him over to the police. Bind was produced in court, which remanded him in police custody till May 3. The 16-year-old accused was produced in a child court.
Commenting on the incident, Narayan Patil, a senior police inspector from Waliv, said, the minor is a student while Bind is a dropout. They had planned to open a cell phone repair shop for which they needed money. Hence, they kidnapped Pratik.
Referring to his son’s recovery as his rebirth, Pratik’s father, Rajkumar Chorasiya told The Asian Age, “They (policemen) are God for me. Since the day Pratik was kidnapped we have been crying but officials justified our faith and not only found our child but nabbed the accused also.” His wife Devi commented, “My elder son (a 5-year-old) had told me, ‘He took my babu (younger brother)’ when the police was talking to the minor accused. I am really glad that my child is back but both the accused should be punished severely in order to teach everyone a lesson that no one should separate a child from his or her mother.” Mr Chorasiya works as an auto rickshaw driver.
