SAVOURING FREEDOM: Umakanth enjoys a pastry at the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate on Friday. — PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

HYDERABAD: Within hours of his kidnap, six-year-old Umakanth had a miraculous albeit happy reunion with his parents after being rescued from the kidnappers by the Kukatpally police on Friday afternoon.

At the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate here, Umakanth, a first standard student of the 25th Century High School, gave a harrowing account of his experience to mediapersons.

"Two uncles were following me while I was returning home from school. They took me on a motorcycle on the pretext of offering chocolate and confined me to a room," he said.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner S. Prabhakar Reddy said Ch. Murali, 20, and L. Ramulu, 16, both natives of Krishna district, were working at a real estate venture developed by the boy's father, Pradeep Kumar, a real estate developer.

Murali worked as a carpenter while Ramulu was a labourer. Murali's girl friend M. Suvarna, 15, from West Godavari district was also nabbed in connection with the case.

After whisking away the boy, the kidnappers telephoned Pradeep at his residence in Dharma Reddy Colony, Kukatpally, on Friday morning and demanded Rs.5 lakhs. After much persuasion, they struck a deal for Rs.1.7 lakhs and asked him to leave the money on a table in a STD booth owned by Suvarna in Kukatpally.

The police, who laid a trap, first caught the girl. Based on the details she furnished, the police then raided a house at Kondapur and nabbed the kidnappers along with the boy.

The Commissioner requested residents to verify antecedents of their workers before employing them.

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