Five armed miscreants kidnapped three daughters of a businessman for ransom in Khiri district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday night. The victims are still in their captivity. Police had launched a search operation believing the miscreants would have holed in forest area of the district under Singahi police station area.
According to reports, Rambali Guta lives with his family consisting of his wife Munni Devi and his three daughters- Upma (24), Rohini (19) and Santoshi (17) in Khairigarh village. He deals in sugarcane crushing business.
On Saturday night, Munni Devi along with her daughters and maid Tara Devi was sitting around bonfire at sugar cane crushing compound. Around 10.30 pm, the miscreants riding different three bikes reached the place and hold all the five on gun-point. Three of the miscreants then drive victims towards a graveyard at Kundanpur road. On reaching there, they looted gold ornaments from Munni Devi and let off her and her maid.
They forcibly made the girls to sit at their bikes and fled towards forest area. Munni Devi returned to home and informed her husband about the same. On Sunday, the family got a call from an unidentified caller who demanded Rs 50 lakh as ransom to release the girls.
A family member Raju Gupta told newsmen that he called SP Khiri and SO Singahi on Saturday night but did not get any help from these officials.
“I later called district magistrate Khiri and then contacted the landline number of Chief Minister’s official residence and apprised the official who attended the cell phone about the incident,” Raju Gupta told.
After the officials present at CM’s residence talked to senior police officials, DIG lucknow range, DK Chaudhary reached the village to supervise the investigation. “SP Khiri and other officials of district police reached the village only after the arrival of DIG, lucknow range,” Raju Gupta alleged.
Police forces are combing in the forest area in the hope that the miscreants would have hide themselves inside the forest.
Sources in police department doubted role of a dreaded local criminal Bagga Singh in the kidnapping of girls. They said Bagga Singh is absconding since he murdered a constable when he was being taken to the court in Khiri in 2013 and he was running an extortion racket these days. “A number of businessmen had lodged a case of extortion against Bagga Singh,” they said.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya lok Dal and Bhartiya Jnata Party leaders had strongly criticized the police for failing to provide safety to the public and demanded to release the girl immediately.
Suicide
A constable, Sanjay Rai of Gazipur district ended his life consuming Sulphas powder at the barrack he was staying at Antu Police station premises in Pratapgarh district. Police recovered a bottle bearing a sticker of sulphas powder from the barrack. Sanjay had joined the duty on Saturday morning after a week long leave. Police sent the body for post-mortem and further investigation of the case are on.