Kidnappers had first planned a robbery Day he was shot dead, abductor had Class 10 exam

GHAZIABAD RESCUE Police say suspects had planned to steal the money from Vihaan’s father initially but dropped the idea later, probe on to determine role of insider

NEW DELHI : The three men who kidnapped five-year-old Vihaan Gupta from near GTB Hospital on January 25, knew that his father had received Rs 57 lakh cash in a business deal, police said. They had initially planned to steal the money from Gupta’s house but changed their mind as they found the idea of kidnapping for ransom “more doable”, the police said.

In a meticulous operation, the Delhi Police rescued Vihaan from a Sahibabad housing society on Tuesday. One kidnapper was shot dead, another injured and a third was arrested by the police when a team stormed the flat where the child was being kept hostage.

“The kidnappers were not sure if the boy’s father had kept the cash at home or not. Since it was a big amount, they thought that the boy’s father wouldn’t part with it so easily and the robbery could turn violent. They found the idea risky as violence could have jeopardised an easy escape,” said an investigator associated with the case.

Police said no money changed hands even though the kidnappers were to collect Rs 30 lakh from Vihaan’s father, Sunny Gupta, later on Tuesday.

Investigations have said that the alleged mastermind, Nitin Kumar Sharma, was a customer of Gupta who sold plastic goods in wholesale. “Sharma ran a dhaba. He would buy disposable plates and tumblers from Gupta and frequently visited his neighbourhood (in New Modern Shahdara). It was during one of those visits that he heard about the business deal,” said Ram Gopal Naik, DCP (crime branch).

Though police continue to probe the role of insiders in the crime, so far they have not found any evidence to suggest such an eventuality, said the DCP. “The business deal was common knowledge in the neighbourhood. Local residents talked of it openly. Sharma claims he overheard it during one of his visits to the neighbourhood,” said an investigator.

Gupta said he had no reason to suspect his employees, business associates or family members. “During the ransom calls, the kidnappers did not sound like they knew about my day-to-day activities. But I will leave it to the police to decide who all were involved,” said Gupta.

Coincidentally, when the police launched a hot chase of Sharma around 10 pm on Monday, three hours before the fatal encounter-cum-rescue, they also visited Gupta’s neighbourhood. “Sharma was accompanied by two women in his Swift Dzire car. He dropped them in Gupta’s neighbourhood before driving away. We believe they were his girlfriends,” said an investigator.

The flat in Sahibabad’s Shalimar City where Vihaan was confined was frequently visited by women, neighbours had recounted. The most frequent of them was a woman in her 20s and seen in bangles worn by newlyweds. Neighbours said she would usually keep her face masked.

The police are questioning this woman to ascertain if she had any role in the crime. Though building residents had claimed that she would visit even during the 12-day kidnapping period, Sharma has denied it during interrogation. The DCP had earlier said that Sharma, a married man, had extramarital affairs with many women and would bring them to the flat where he later confined Vihaan.

Every day since the kidnapping was reported, my son used to come home and there was nothing unusual about his behaviour.

SHYAM LAL, father of Ravi, one of the kidnappers, who was shot dead during the rescue operation

NEWDELHI: On the day he was killed in a police encounter, Ravi Lal, 24, was to appear for his Class 10 exam from an open school. Ravi, who was one of the three alleged kidnappers of five-year-old Vihaan Gupta, was killed in an exchange of fire after the police swooped down on their Ghaziabad hideout.

The news of the incident, left Ravi’s family puzzled as they described him as someone who had modest aspirations and did not run after money. “He was average in studies and had a stopstart academics mostly because I insisted that he should not give up studies altogether. On my insistence, he got enrolled in open learning from UP board and his first paper was scheduled on Tuesday for which he had to travel to Rae Bareli, where the centre was,” said Ravi’s father Shyam Lal, who works as a waiter with a private caterer.

Shyam Lal said Ravi had left home on Sunday after which his phone was switched off. Shyam Lal was under the impression that he had gone to Rae Bareli. However, late in the night when he was catering at a Karkardooma farmhouse, Lal received a call from the police saying his son had met an accident and had to be rushed to GTB hospital.

“When I reached there, I got to know what had happened. I am surprised because I never got a whiff of it. Every day since the kidnapping was reported, my son used to come home and there was nothing unusual about his behaviour. I also find it hard to believe because he never spoke about making a lot of money and led a simple life. He did not have a bike and till recently, he did not even have a smartphone, something most youngsters his age have,” said Lal while waiting at the GTB hospital mortuary.

Lal said Ravi would join him as a waiter whenever there was a function or sell fruits and the money the father son-duo made was enough to meet the family’s needs. He has another son and wife Sudama Devi.

Lal said he knew the two co-accused, but it was Pankaj who visited frequently while Nitin Sharma was a casual acquaintance. At the hospital, Lal was accompanied by his wife Sudama Devi and nephew Lakhsman Pal.

Meanwhile, Nitin Sharma’s house in Gokalpuri was found locked on Tuesday. His neighbours said that he had differences with his wife and his elder brother Naveen, with whom he ran an eatery nearby. The eatery Sharmavaishnodhabawasopen on Tuesday but Naveen was not around. Their uncle Ramavtar Sharma, who runs another eatery from an adjoining shop, said he was surprised to know about his nephew’s involvement in the kidnapping.