Boy killed after father fails to pay ransom

AGrade six pupil was killed by kidnappers in Bihar after his father failed to pay a ransom of Rs30,000 (Dh1,732), officials say.

It was the second such incident in 24 hours, raising questions over the prevailing law and order situation in the state.

The incident took place in Purnia district, some 350 kilometres east of Patna, prompting angry villagers to block traffic and shout slogans against the state administration.

Police said the victim, identified as Rahul Kumar, 12, was playing near the Maranga locality of the district on Thursday evening when motorcycle-riding suspects abducted him.

Body recovered

After kidnapping the minor, the suspects sought a ransom of Rs30,000 from his father but, after he told them he would be unable to pay the money that soon, the abductors allegedly strangled the boy. Police recovered his body from under a roadside bridge yesterday. The victim’s father Mohan Sah runs a tea stall.

“We also found the legs of the victim tied with wire,” a local senior police official Raj Kumar Sah said yesterday.