14-year-old killed by kidnappers as they tried to knock him unconscious

A 14-year-old boy was kidnapped from a religious procession in Nagpur last week and accidentally killed by his captives as they tried to knock him unconscious. The police have arrested three men for their alleged involvement in the incident.

The teenager was lured to a car by the accused while he was attending a Shobha Yatra that was organised to mark Hanuman Jayanti on Saturday, April 2, the police said. The vehicle was then driven to a location on the outskirts of the city, Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal said.

The three kidnappers allegedly tried to sedate the boy by giving him rat poison. Despite that, the child did not lose consciousness, Singal said. Following this, the kidnappers strangled him in an attempt to make him unconscious, per the police.

However, the child died as a result of the physical assault, Singal said. The accused then dumped his body the next day, the police said.

Citing their interrogation, Singal said that the men had planned to seek a ransom of Rs 40–50 lakh from the boy's father, who is a vegetable wholesaler.

The trio had planned the kidnapping at least 20 days in advance, per the police. They were already acquainted with the teenager's father as they used to purchase vegetables from him, Singal informed.

The police relied heavily on technical evidence such as CCTV footage and call data records to track the accused and recover the boy's body. The arrested men allegedly planned the kidnapping so they could pay off their debts using the ransom money, the police said.

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(Based on inputs from Yogesh Pande)