Heard of kidnapping, what relief in the end

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 4

I dropped my daughter, who is in Class I, at the British Co-Ed School at 7.35 am this morning. As she entered the schoolgate, I took a turn to return home. Seconds later, I received a call that something was wrong at the school. 

As I rushed back, I spotted a terrified rickshaw wallah talking to the school staff. He said as he ferried children, a youth riding a bike and a man in a car kidnapped a Class I student even as her twin looked on helplessly. “The man on the bike tried to lure her with a chocolate,” he claimed. 

As word spread, panicky parents gathered. Securityman Bant Singh tried to placate them, even as the harried principal, Rosa Alicia Kucharskyj, explained that the incident had not occurred inside the school premises. 

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The Civil Lines SHO was not available, so I called up area DSP Harpal. A sportsman, I knew he was an early riser. He reached the school in a few minutes. SSP Gurmeet Chauhan said the police were already on the job. As I rushed to meet the girl’s parents, I was flooded with calls that a ransom of Rs 1 crore was being sought. I was told the kidnappers were being “tracked” and the DGP and ADGP were monitoring the case.

An eyewitness noted down the car number, but it was found to be fake. Police officials in civvies descended on the victim’s house as her parents tried hard to keep themselves calm. The kidnappers kept calling every 30 minutes, demanding that a packet containing Rs 50 lakh be dropped near the YPS Stadium. Later, they mentioned three more spots. All this while, the police traced calls. 

At 2 pm came the news that the girl had been found abandoned near Sular, pushed out of a silver Zen. Back home, she went straight to her twin and started playing, I was told. What a relief.