The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : An emotional reunion for the boy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 06, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

An emotional reunion for the boy

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, MARCH 5. Emotions ran high at the district police office this evening, when the four-year-old Aravind had a re-union with his father and mother after having remained in the custody of his abductor for nearly 48 hours.

The most shocking revelation came when the police identified the abductor as Karthi (18) of Kancheepuram, a youth who was on guard duty at the boy's house. The boy was abducted from his school on March 3. The security guard was absconding since then, raising suspicion for both the police and the parents. Inquiries revealed that the security guard was originally employed by a private security agency and his services were hired by a knitwear unit at Mangalam too.

Karthi at first tried to abduct Aravind from the school in the morning but failed in his attempt after the school authorities refused to send the boy with him.

Inquiries by the police with the security agency revealed that Karthi had given false address and wrong declarations while seeking employment. The security agency was not having any photograph of the accused. Karthi made a phone call to the boy's house on Friday night demanding a ransom of Rs. 30 lakhs and threatened that the boy's safety would be in peril, if any adventurous attempts were made to secure his release. He said that the boy was in the custody of Hindi speaking gangsters and those from Andhra Pradesh. Tracing the phone number to Arani in Tiruvannamalai district, police rushed to Arani and rescued the boy.

The boy told reporters that he was neither tortured nor denied food.

Taking a cue from this instance, the district police have decided to call a meeting of private security agencies and sensitise them on the need for not recruiting strangers. Whenever a person was recruited, his address with valid proof, photo and fingerprints should be obtained.

His nativity and address could be verified with the help of the police by referring the same to the district police office concerned, Dr. Dhinakaran, the Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural District, told reporters today.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

An emotional reunion for the boy

Coimbatore likely to get two more Assembly segments

Around the City

In Coimbatore Today