GHAZIABAD: Three persons were awarded life imprisonment by a sessions court for allegedly kidnapping a 13-year-old boy and demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore from his father a day after his abduction three years ago.The accused were neighbours of the teenage boy in the same highrise society in Raj Nagar Extension. The police had subsequently rescued the boy following a shootout at a playschool in Raj Nagar.Jaikaran Mahajan, a Class VIII student of Khaitan Public School, had gone missing from the playground of VVIP Addresses society in Raj Nagar Extension around 11am on November 29, 2015. Later in the day, his father Vivek Mahajan lodged a missing person’s complaint at Sihani Gate police station.Even as Jaikaran’s family was frantically searching for him, Vivek got a ransom call next day around 10.30 am from Jaikaran’s mobile phone were the caller sought Rs 2 crore for his release and threatened to kill the boy in case they informed police. In the afternoon, Vivek’s neighbour told him that they had seen Jaikaran going in a car with two society residents, Sandeep Kumar and Deepak, the day he went missing.Following the input, police laid a trap and rescued Jaikaran from a servant quarter of Royal Kids Play School in Sector 6, Raj Nagar, where Deepak’s mother Anita worked. In the shootout with police, Sandeep had received a bullet injury in his leg.During interrogation, the accused told police that they were friends and wanted to earn quick bucks.Deepak ran a BPO recruitment centre at Vaishali in Ghaziabad while Sandeep was planning to open a coaching centre.Special government lawyer (POCSO Act) Ranveer Singh Dagar said, “Along with the duo, Deepak’s mother Anita and brother Bittu were arrested for the crime. However, Anita, who was charged with criminal conspiracy, was later found not guilty and released by the court.”Sandeep, Deepak and Bittu were found guilty under sections 364 A (kidnapping for ransom) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of IPC and were awarded life imprisonment by additional district judge Kunal Vepa. A fine of Rs 21,000 each was also imposed on the three accused, Dagar said.According to Dagar, while Sandeep is currently lodged in Dasna jail, Deepak and Bittu had recently got bail from Allahabad high court.

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