A farmer was brutally battered to death over a petty dispute in Hardoi.
According to reports, Ram Prakash, a native of Mirgaeva, was going to Sawayazpur by his tractor loaded with sugarcane. Shiv Singh, belonging to Haddah, was standing opposite Rajendra's house on the main road and Ram Prakash stopped there.
It is alleged that Ram Prakash, who was inebriated, started hurling abuses on Shiv Singh. Some local villagers came and silenced Ram Prakash to avert any dispute. Ram Prakash left the spot but within an hour, he along with Changey Lal, husband of sitting gram pradhan, Man Singh, Hori Lal, Vinay Pratap, and half-a-dozen unknown miscreants struck Shiv Singh's house and brutally battered Shiv's 31-year-old brother, Kanbu.
The victim was rushed to a community health centre from where he was referred to the district hospital where he was pronounced.
A case was registered and the body was sent for autopsy.
Meanwhile, the Firozabad police rescued the two kids who were kidnapped on Sunday and also managed to nab one of the kidnappers after a brief encounter on Tuesday morning.
The injured kidnapper was shifted to a hospital and both the children were handed over in the custody of their parents.
Reports said that acting swiftly after learning about both the missing children, the Firozabad police through electronic surveillance came to know that both the children were seen on a motorcycle with a youth. They made prompt follow-up of the inputs and before the kidnappers demanded Rs 2 lakh for safe release of the children from their parents, a police team rushed to Agra and rescued both the children held captive near Bhagwan Talkies.
The cops, however, failed to nab the accused.
Superintendent of Police of Firozabad claimed that the cops laid a trap and got success when on Tuesday morning, the kidnappers were traced in Firozabad.
He said the cops of Dakshin police station led by ASP (City) Mukul Kumar Mishra rushed there and tried to intercept the criminals. However, the kidnapers opened fire and the cops also retaliated, injuring one of the criminals while the others managed to escape.
The injured criminal, identified as Abhay Jadaun, was taken in custody and shifted to a hospital.
Efforts were now made to nab the remaining criminals.
Jadaun revealed that they kidnapped the boys to extort Rs 2 lakh from their families but before they could make a call, the cops rescued the kids.
It may be mentioned that two kids were kidnapped in Firozabad. SP, Firozabad, Ajay Kumar Pandey had confirmed that two boys -- 4-year-old Yogesh and 6-year-old Kunal, hailing from Bhim Nagar locality under Dakshin police station -- went missing after they went out to purchase toffees on Sunday afternoon. He said when they did not return home, their families launched a hunt and also informed the police.