Kidnapped boy rescued; two abductors shot

Lucknow, May 8 (UNI) The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police today rescued 16-year-old Mohit Chandnani from the clutches of kidnappers after a brief shoot-out which left two of the abductors dead.

The teenage was recovered from Ganesganj village in the Ramnagar area of neighbouring Barabanki district early today.

Mohit was kidnapped on May 1 in the state capital while on way to school along with his father on a scooter.

''Mohit is safe and we are bringing him to Lucknow,'' SSP (STF) Amitabh Yash told UNI over phone.

The rescued boy, meanwhile, said he was drugged by the kidnappers. ''In the night of the kidnaping I was kept at a house.

From next day onwards they had kept me here,'' he said. Mohit was kept in an outhouse in Ramnagar area of Barabanki. ''I was fed biscuits and food from a dhaba...they said if I raised an alarm, they would kill me,'' a visibly shaken boy told reporters in Barabanki.

The boy was allowed to speak with his uncle on telephone once.

STF sleuths claimed that the weapons recovered from the kidnappers indicated that a professional gang was behind the crime.

A thorough investigation would only prove something positive, an official added.

One of the kidnappers shot dead has been identified as Rinku, a neighbour of the kidnapped boy.

The kidnappers had reportedly demanded Rs 50 lakh as ransom for the release of the 16-year-old.

The STF used means of electronic surveillance to track the abductors. The kidnappers had used 17 different cell phones to contact the victim's family.

Mohit's father is a well-known cloth merchant and owns two shops in Pragati Bazaar in Kapoorthala area. After the kidnapping, the city police had come under fire as traders had downed shutters to protest against the incident.

With assembly elections on, the BJP and BSP had termed the incident as an example of the poor law and order situation in the state.

UNI