Journalist's abducted son killed in Telangana, accused held

Warangal (Telangana), October 22

A journalist's nine-year-old boy, who was kidnapped for ransom in Mahabubabad town in Telangana, has been murdered and the alleged killer arrested, police said on Thursday.

The boy was strangled to death and the body set afire on a hillock on October 18, the day he was abducted by a 23-year- old mechanic known to the victims father, the police said.

The kidnapper feared that the boy might reveal his identity if released, so he killed the minor, they said.

Then, the accused called up the boy's family over phone through the internet, demanding Rs 45 lakh as ransom, the police said.

The abductor wanted to become rich within a short period and lead a luxurious life-style, they said.

After coming to know that the boy's father had bought a property recently, the accused hatched a plan to earn easy money and resorted to the crime, police said.

As per plan, he went to the boy's house on October 18 and called him. Since the mechanic was known to him and his father, the boy went with the kidnapper on a bike, Mahabubabad district Superintendent of Police Koti Reddy said.

Later, acting on a complaint, police, analysing CCTV footage in Mahabubabad, saw the accused taking the boy on a bike and nabbed the mechanic, the police said.

Further investigations were underway to find out if more persons were involved in the crime, they added. PTI