Delhi boy rescue: Kidnappers made 3 failed attempts in week before crime

An alert flower seller, bad timing and bad luck foiled the kidnappers’ attempts before they managed to nab the five-year-old boy about a fortnight ago.

The men who kidnapped five-year-old Vihaan Gupta had allegedly made three failed attempts to kidnap him in the week preceding the day he was finally abducted on January 25, police said.

The five-year-old child (extreme right), who was abducted from his school bus a day before Republic Day in Delhi, with his mother after being rescued by Delhi Police, at a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

On one occasion, an alert flower seller outside a nearby temple had dialled the police on noticing that the kidnappers’ motorcycle registration number plate was defaced and twisted, said Ram Gopal Naik, DCP (crime branch).

On another occasion, they failed to intercept the boy on time. The third time, a large crowd near the spot where they planned to intercept Vihaan’s school bus forced them to drop the plan, police said.

On December 25, they would have missed the school bus if not for a tyre puncture. “The kidnapping spot was the last stop for the school bus. The child who would be picked up from there would generally be delayed, so the kidnappers chose that spot. On the day of the successful kidnapping, that parent’s motorcycle got punctured, so the kidnappers found ample time to commit the crime,” said Naik.

The officer said that the three kidnappers, allegedly headed by Nitin Kumar Sharma, a dhaba owner, were used to a lifestyle that was beyond their means.

“Sharma was married, but had multiple girlfriends. He needed money to continue his relations with them as well as support his lifestyle. Since his dhaba was not doing well, he also thought of investing some of the ransom money in another business,” said the DCP.

His accomplice, Pankaj, had earlier worked as a waiter at wedding parties. Ravi, who was to appear for his Class 12 UP Board exams on Tuesday, was currently unemployed. “They were all residents of the same neighbourhood in Gokalpuri and had needs beyond their means, so they joined hands for the kidnapping,” said the officer.

A few days before the actual kidnapping, Sharma had allegedly visited the plastic goods shop owned by Vihaan’s father, Sunny Gupta. It was there that he heard of a Rs 57 lakh deal that Gupta had recently made. “The business deal was common knowledge in the neighbourhood. Sharma immediately decided to plan a kidnapping for ransom,” said RP Upadhyay, special commissioner, (crime branch).

During the 12 days that Vihaan was abducted, the trio would visit their own homes intermittently. Police said their families did not question them about their errant lifestyle or staying out in the nights.