How 2 students bunking school sent Delhi Police on wild goose chase for ‘kidnappers’

Last week on Thursday, a call about kidnapping of two Class 6 students from outside their government school triggered panic among Delhi Police personnel. This incident happened nearly 10 hours before another incident of abduction in Ghitorni.

The kidnapping of a three-year-old boy from outside his Ghitorni home near Vasant Kunj by a Delhi University (DU) student and her minor brother to exact a ransom of R5 crore was not the only incident of abduction that the southwest district police probed on Thursday.

For almost four hours, around 80 personnel of the RK Puram and South Campus police stations conducted a search operation, looking for the two minor boys across the city. (HT File / Representative Photo)

Nearly 10 hours before the kidnapping of the child, who was safely rescued the following day, a call regarding kidnapping of two Class 6 students of a government school from outside the school had triggered panic among police personnel.

For almost four hours, around 80 personnel of the RK Puram and South Campus police stations conducted a search operation, looking for the two minor boys across the city. They heaved a sigh of relief only after the boys safely returned to their school and claimed that they had bunked school for “enjoyment”. No case pertaining to the matter was registered.

A police officer, privy to the details of case, said the father of one of the two boys called the police control room around at 8.30 am and alleged that his son was kidnapped from outside his school in RK Puram. Police met the caller, who claimed that the school authorities had informed him that his son had not come to school and that he is missing.

“The man claimed that he had dropped his son off at the school on his scooter around 7 am. But the school authorities told him that his son had not come to school. The school authorities told us that not one but two Class 6 students were missing,” said the officer.

The matter was brought to the notice of deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Devendra Arya, who formed eight teams to trace the missing students. The teams scanned footage of around two dozen CCTV cameras from in and around the school and questioned several people in the neighbourhood for clues. The two boys were seen in one of the cameras, walking on the road outside the school.

“We spoke to some of their classmates. Initially, nobody shared anything as they feared action from the school administration and their parents as well. When convinced that their names will not be disclosed, a few of them told us about their plan to visit India Gate,” the officer maintained.

Five police teams reached India Gate and scanned the lawns for almost three hours but the missing boys could not be found. As they were preparing to leave to search other places frequented by children, the two boys returned to their school around 11.30 am.

“Our consellors and teachers of the school counselled the two boys,” the officer said, adding that many of the same police staff were pressed into action once again after they received a call pertaining to the kidnapping of a three-year-old boy from outside his Ghitorni home at 6.30 pm. The child was safely rescued from a locked flat near his home and his kidnappers — the DU student and his minor brother — were caught within 20 hours of the crime.