Abducted East Delhi schoolboy wasn’t scared, seemed familiar with his abductors

The accused’s landlady said the boy came downstairs with them at least twice to go to the local market, and was seen having chocolates.

They hired a single room in one of the buildings of Khoda’s Vandana Enclave. The owner of the building said they preferred the last room on the fifth floor. She said the boy who had allegedly been kidnapped by her tenants showed no signs of fear and seemed familiar with them.

Four of the five people accused of abducting the schoolboy. (HT Photo)

“Three men on Thursday came to hire the room for ₹3,000 a month and paid an advance of ₹1,000. We asked for their identification proofs. They said two of their friends will arrive in a day or two and will bring the documents along,” the landlady, requesting anonymity, said.

She said the boy was first seen in the building early Friday evening. He had with him his school-bag and seemed “very normal” with the men. She said the boy came downstairs with them at least twice to go to the local market and was seen having chocolates.

“The activities of the three men seemed suspicious as they remained confined to their room and were smoking most of the time. They had no household belongings with them. This further raised my suspicions. I felt they knew that rooms in our building are far off from the main entrance and they chose the location because of this fact,” she said.

The building has several rooms which are rented out. The landlady lives with her husband, mother and two children in the same building.

It was around 8.30pm, she said, that the police arrived and the plot was busted.

The boy’s father, Ajay Kumar Gupta, said that the boy was reunited with the family and was not hurt by the accused.

“I had sent my other son to pick up the boy from the school but the accused arrived before he could. My son is familiar with one of them, Raja, which is probably why he went along with him. Otherwise, there are strict instructions to him not to go anywhere with strangers. I was relieved as the men were arrested within six to seven hours and did not take my son anywhere else,” Ajay told HT.

Raja said they picked-up the boy in an e-rickshaw they had hired as soon as he stepped out of his school.

“He was familiar with me so he did not suspect any untoward motive and came along as I told him that his father has sent me to pick him up,” he said.