Anant rescued, joins relieved family amid joyous scenes

 

NOIDA: Three-year-old Anant Gupta, the kidnapped son of a top executive, was on Friday back with his family here after four days of captivity, but it was not clear how he was rescued.

 

One person was arrested in connection with the abduction.
    
The police identified three persons as the kidnappers.

 

At a press conference here on Friday evening, Inspector General (Meerut range) NB Singh said they have arrested Jitender alias Bablu, a resident of New Ashok Nagar, in Delhi, in connection with the kidnapping.

 

He said the main culprit in the kidnapping was Chatrapal, also a resident of New Ashok Nagar.

 

Chatrapal's father, he said, ran a dairy booth 50 yards from Anant's residence in Sector 15-A in Noida.
    
Singh said the other two main accused in the case were Vijay Chauhan, a resident of Chaura in Noida, and Pawan, a resident of New Ashok Nagar.

 

SSP STF SK Bhagat said Anant was found in Kakori police station area on the Noida-Bulandhahar border.

 

He said no ransom was paid for the rescue of the boy who had been abducted on Monday.

 

After he was kidnapped, Anant was taken to Pawan's house in New Ashok Nagar, from where he was moved to Mathura.

 

Bhagat said the kidnappers, realising that police were hot on their heels, left the Mathura hideout in an autorickshaw late on Thursday night.

 

Police took custody of Anant in Kakori "and according to a strategy," in the same autorickshaw, the child was brought back home to Noida accompanied by a policeman, Bhagat said.

 

The kidnappers were not there in the auto when police found Anant.

 

The autorickshaw driver has neither been arrested nor questioned.

 

Jitender was arrested after the delivery of the child but police did not disclose from where he was nabbed.

 

Naresh Gupta, CEO of Adobe India, said no ransom was paid for the release of his son, who was snatched by two motorcycle riding youths outside his residence in Sector 15A on Monday morning.

 

The boy, a pre-nursery class student of Lotus Valley school, is "safe and healthy and is talking and behaving normally", doctors, who checked on him, said.

 

"Anant is playful, cheerful, active and is his usual self since he returned," a relieved Gupta told mediapersons outside his residence.

 

He is "fully healthy... whosoever had kept him had kept him safely. This has come as a big relief for us," he added.

 

As news of his release spread, relatives, neighbours, colleagues and a huge battery of mediapersons thronged the Gupta residence and joined in the celebrations.

 

Along with family members, a cheerful looking Anant, who showed no signs of any stress, waved from the terrace of his imposing bungalow to the huge crowd of onlookers and reporters gathered outside.

 

The boy, held by his mother, reached out for sweets that were being distributed to celebrate his home-coming and played with his sister Charvi without realising the media attention that he was drawing.

 

Gupta said he had no idea how his son returned.

 

"I was awake the whole night and when I was about to catch some sleep, I heard shouts from the house that Anant is back. I came down and saw him playing in the house. I have no idea how he was recovered," he said.

 

"We have not asked him anything about the last four days. We will take him for a detailed checkup later," he said.

 

Gupta said the family had been in constant touch with the kidnappers and had received five calls in the last four days demanding Rs 60 lakh as ransom for Anant's safe release. He, however, said the family did not pay any ransom.

 

"We received two calls each on the first and second day and one call on the third day. They (kidnappers) threatened that they would kill him if we spoke about their demands," he added.

 

On the maid, Gupta said "I don't know where she is."

 

Anant's elder sister, a Std II student, was visibly happy to have him back. "It was very boring without him," she said.

 

"I don't know how he came back. I fed him sweets and I am very happy," she added.

 

Gupta, who came out with Anant and his wife Nidhi, thanked the Special Task Force, state administration and all others for working overtime to safely recover his son.

 

Anant's mother, who celebrated her birthday today, hoped that "this kind of an experience never happens to anyone."