The Birbhum district police on Sunday arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly kidnapping and murdering his 20-year-old friend, an engineering college student.
Birbhum Superintendent of Police, Nagendra Nath Tripathi, identified the accused as Sheikh Salman and said he kidnapped Sayeed Salauddin on Saturday and was demanding ransom of ₹30 lakh from the parents.
Salauddin’s parents, who live in the Mallarpur area of Birbhum, received the call for ransom on Saturday night, said Tripathi.
Officers from Mallarpur police station started an investigation after a second call was made to Saluddin’s parents from their son’s phone around midnight (the intervening night on Saturday and Sunday), said a district police officer.
The police nabbed Salman by tracking the phone’s location, the officer said, adding that he led officers to a jungle in Ilambazar where Salauddin’s body was found around 4 am on Sunday morning.
“After his arrest, Salman confessed to have committed the murder. He said he had taken a loan from banks and money lenders for his brick kiln. He was finding it difficult to run the business and decided to kidnap Salauddin for ransom. Investigation is on,” said Tripathi.
The police are ascertaining if Salman took help from any associates to carry out the crime, said the SP.
{{/usCountry}}The police are ascertaining if Salman took help from any associates to carry out the crime, said the SP.
{{/usCountry}}Salauddin’s body has been sent for post mortem.