Protests in Shimla as boy’s skeleton found 2 years after abduction

Shimla, August 23

Protests broke out in the city on Tuesday after the skeletal remains of a four-year-old boy, kidnapped two years ago, were found with the protesters alleging police inaction against the accused.

Markets remained closed as traders joined the protesters, including the victim's family members, who alleged the police did not make any serious efforts to trace the boy.

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Yug was kidnapped on June 14, 2014 and his skeletal remains were recovered by CID from the water tank of municipal corporation at Celestine near Bharari last evening.

The remains were recovered following the information given by the main accused -- Vikrant Bakshi during interrogation, police said.

Police said the skeletal remains were identified as that of Yug as the accused had said they had dumped the boy in the water tank.

Two other accused -- Chander Sharma and Tajender Singh who were out on bail earlier but were arrested again. A case of murder under IPC’s Section 302 was lodged against them and Bakshi.

Satish Gupta, uncle of Yug, alleged that he was killed after eight days of abduction and the accused kept on demanding ransom even after killing him.

He alleged that Bakshi killed his nephew.

The protest started after it was revealed that the arrested persons were the same suspects who the family members had named in the case.

The traders said had the police taken a timely action when the accused were reportedly demanding ransom, the boy could have been saved.

The protesters staged a dharna outside the Vidhan Sabha demanding death penalty for the accused and social boycott of their families. They later marched towards the High Court and Raj Bhawan here.

Three arrested, CM tells House

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh informed Vidhan Sabha that all the three accused in the Yug murder case have been arrested and assured the House that action would be taken as per the law.

Making a suo motu statement in the House, he said during investigation the rented house of Chander was searched by a team of forensic experts and CID where "sufficient" evidence was found.

Singh said one Vinod Gupta filed a complaint at the Sadar Police station on June 14, 2014 that his son Yug was missing from his residence.

Immediate efforts were made by the police but the child could not be traced anywhere in the vicinity and a criminal case was registered on June 16, 2014, he said.

Preliminary investigations carried out by police, and on June 27, 2014, a letter was received demanding ransom of Rs 3.60 crore and subsequently three more such letters were received, Singh said.

The case was transferred to state CID (crime branch) on August 14, 2016 and narco analysis test of the servants of Gupta revealed that his neighbour Chander and Kaku could have kidnapped Yug for ransom, he said.

Meanwhile, the three accused, booked under relevant sections of IPC, were here and produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate who remanded them to five days of police custody.

Local BJP MLA Suresh Bhardwaj accused the police "of not showing the desired seriousness" in investigation of the case and alleged that it was due to "laxity" on their part that Yug could not be "traced and saved". — PTI