GHAZIABAD: A gang kidnapped a 13-year-old boy in Raj Nagar but was beaten to the ransom call by another that read the parents’ appeal on social media to help find their missing son and asked for Rs 1 crore.They threatened to inflict severe injuries on the boy, whose whereabouts they had no idea of, to scare the parents.The parents went through five days of agony as, a day later, they received a ransom call for double the amount — this time from the original kidnappers who sought Rs 2 crore.The boy, who was kidnapped on February 10, was held hostage in a house for five days, blindfolded with his hands and feet tied. He was released on February 15. The boy’s parents, who run a travel agency, did not inform police till he was safely returned to them by the abductors.The kidnappers have been identified as Firozabad resident Pramod Jain, who was facing financial difficulties. His accomplices are Pradeep and Pawan Kumar, bother residents of Delhi, and Pramod Yadav and Sonu Kumar, residents of Ghaziabad. All five were arrested on Friday and Rs 8 lakh found on them.Police said the fake ransom calls were placed through the internet and originated from Pakistan SP (city) Shlok Kumar said the kidnapped boy was kept in a rented accommodation near Tigri roundabout. “The gang’s plan was to abduct a person in Delhi and for that, they had been making plans for the past two months. However, frustrated at their lack of success, they kidnapped the boy after having alcohol at a shop in Ghaziabad,” he added.Besides Rs 8 lakh, police sized three country-made pistols, a mobile phone, an Xcent car and a bike that were allegedly used in the crime. The mobile phone and motorcycle were stolen while the car belongs to Pramod’s relative. They were nabbed by a joint team of Kavi Nagar police and the crime branch at Hapur Chungi.The boy, a Class VII student, had gone missing from near his home on the evening of February 10. The boy’s father, Amit Arora, said his son had left home around 6.15pm to go to a stationery shop located in Sector 10 to buy a map but did not return home. His slippers were found just 100 metres from their house.As his parents put his photograph and their mobile numbers on social media seeking public help in locating him, they started getting calls from February 11. The fake ransom call came to the boy’s mother Neha. Pramod’s gang made the call on February 12 and sought Rs 2 crore. “I pleaded with both callers. I asked for some proof, but both refused. Later, when the second gang sent me a video clip of my son, I agreed to pay them Rs 10 lakh,” she said.“On the intervening night of February 14 and 15, I alone went to Akshardham flyover in Delhi and dropped the money at a pre-decided place. Two hours later, we were asked to go to a place near Delhi Public School in Noida Sector 37 and pick up our son. We were reunited with our son around 4.30 am on February 15,” Neha added.Neha said the fake ransom calls kept coming even after her son had returned home. The couple decided to inform police when Pramod’s gang called and said they would “remain in touch” with them.

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