Student kidnaps boy to pay college fee in Karnataka, arrested

Bengaluru, September 28

Karnataka police have arrested a B.Com student on charges of kidnapping a 14-year-old boy to arrange a fee amount for continuation of his studies here, police said on Wednesday.

M Sunil Kumar, 23, is a B.Com student who studied in an evening college. The police have also arrested his aide YV Nagesh, a resident of Mandikal in Chikkaballapur town.

According to police, Sunil had kidnapped Bhavesh, the son of a corporate company manager Ramesh Babu, on September 2 at his residence in Manyata Layout. He was aware that Bhavesh slept in the cellar room alone.

Sunil had covered his face with a mask and knocked on the door of Bhavesh’s room. When he opened the door, Sunil along with Nagesh threatened him with a knife and took him away in his father’s car.

Next day, the accused made a call to the boy’s father from his mobile and demanded Rs 15 lakh as ransom.

He was asked to place the cash bag near a railway track on the outskirts of the city. The accused had collected the money and released Bhavesh. After getting back his son, Ramesh Babu had lodged a complaint with the Sampigehalli police.

A team headed by the ACP T Rangappa and inspector KT Nagaraju zeroed in on the accused after analysing the CCTV footage and tracing the mobile location. Police said the bungalow has been fitted with 18 CCTV cameras.

Sunil told the police that he kidnapped Bhavesh to pay his college fee. He had gone to carry out garden work at Bhavesh’s house a few months back and planned that if the boy was kidnapped, he could make money. He shared the idea with Nagesh who agreed to the plan.

With the ransom money, Sunil had paid his college fee. He had also given an advance amount for a room in Yelahanka. He had purchased a new bike and digital camera and kept the remaining money with him. IANS