Karnal law graduate wanted in K’shetra kidnapping case

POLICE RECOVER ` 1.74 CRORE, PART OF THE RANSOM MONEY OF ` 2 CRORE, FROM ACCUSED’S HOUSE IN SECTOR 6 AT KARNAL

KARNAL: An unemployed law graduate of Karnal, Anil Mittal, has emerged as the key accused behind the kidnapping of a Kurukshetra youth on August 23.

The Kurukshetra police on Sunday claimed to have recovered a sum of ` 1.74 crore, part of the ransom, from Mittal’s Sector-6 residence here.

Kurukshetra superintendent of police Simardeep Singh told HT that besides Mittal, two other accused had been identified as Sukhbir Singh of Sector 7 in Karnal and Kamal Saini, Kurukshetra resident. He said efforts were on the arrest them.

At least five more persons, who were yet to be identified, were also involved, he said.

Aditya Singla, 27, son of a leading rice trader Jai Bhagwan Singla of Kurukshetra, was kidnapped on the night of August 23. He was kidnapped as he was walking around his house in Kurukshetra. Though Aditya was rescued within two days, abductors managed to escape with the ransom money of ` 2 crore. The Kurukshetra SP said that under a covert police action, the ransom was paid near Madhuban in Karnal on the national highway no-1.

“By the time, the ransom was paid to criminals, our teams of investigators had already iden- tified the three kidnappers. On Sunday, main accused Anil Mittal’s family informed the police about an unknown bag full of currency notes thrown by some unidentified persons at their house,” SP said.

He said that the victim’s family identified the bag but ` 26 lakh cash was missing from it.

SP said that Mittal had studied law from Kurukshetra University and kidnapping act was well-organised.

However, the SP said that it was yet to be ascertained as to where the victim was kept after being kidnapped. “We are suspecting five-six places in Karnal. One of the accused owns a plot at Palm Residency, but it was unlikely that the victim was kept there. However, we are trying to arrest the accused soon and further details would be known from them,” he said.