Chargesheet in kidnapping case

NEWDELHI: The Delhi Police have filed a chargesheet in the sensational kidnapping of a five-yearold boy from his school bus in east Delhi a day before Republic Day.

Delhi Police’s crime branch had nabbed four men for the kidnapping of Vihan, 5, following an encounter at Shalimar City in Sahibabad, leaving one of the accused dead. One of the accused, who was impersonating as a woman tried to mislead the police, the chargesheet filed by the crime branch read.

Speaking to HT, deputy commissioner of police (crime), G Ram Gopal Naik recalled how the voice led the police suspect a number of woman related to the case. “Accused Nitin Sharma could imitate a woman’s voice. This led us to rounding up some women suspects and the housemaid, female relatives of the family and neighbours and every known woman to the family was questioned,” Naik said.

“When nothing worked out, we started technical surveillance. The suspense that there was no woman involved behind the ransom call was unveiled only when the arrests were made,” he said.

Sharma’s voice samples have been sent for forensic examination and a report is awaited.

The crime branch has also recovered at least 20 mobile phones from the four accused — Ravi, 25, who was killed in the encounter, Pankaj, Nitin Sharma and one Anshul Malhotra.

The charge filed earlier this month mentions Malhotra, who was a friend of Nitin, had supplied arms to them. Pankaj and Ravi had kidnapped the boy from the school bus near IBHAAS, read the 43-page chargesheet.