Delhi Police on Friday foiled an attempt to steal a car with two children in it and demand ransom for their release within hours of the crime. The thief cum kidnapper was forced to abandon the car with the hostages after a large team of police vehicles chased him, and the children were rescued safely.
The incident took place in the Shankarpur area, and the stolen car was abandoned near Samaypur Badli Police Station. Giving information about the incident, Additional DCP East Avnish Kumar said that a family from Faridabad had arrived in Delhi, and the parents had gone into Hira Sweets in Laxmi Nagar near Vikas Marg to buy some sweets at around 11.40 pm on Friday.
They had parked their in front of the confectionery shop, and their two kids, aged three and eleven years old, were sitting in the car. The car was kept unlocked, and the engine was kept running to keep the AC on as the kids were inside the car. Taking advantage of this, the thief stole the car and drove away along with the children.
The mother’s phone was left in the car, and using this, the kidnapper called the father and demanded ₹50 lakh in ransom in exchange of release of the children.
The police were immediately informed, and the police formed multiple teams including police from ATS, ANS, Special Staff, and cops from multiple police stations in the area. “The parents had briefly gone inside Hira Sweets to buy sweets when the car was stolen. When they came back, their vehicle and children were missing. Later, they approached the police and lodged a complaint,” officials said.
#WATCH | Delhi: On two children being kidnapped for ransom from the Shankarpur area, Additional DCP East Avnish Kumar says, "Police received this incident of children being kidnapped yesterday… We formed multiple teams and with the help of technical surveillance and… pic.twitter.com/2cpRPSqQHO
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2024
Using technical surveillance and with the cooperation of other districts, the police teams located and chased the car. Around 20 police vehicles with around 50 police personnel were engaged in the chase. The parents also accompanied the cops in the chase. As a result, the thief stopped the car near Samaypur Badli and fled from the scene. The operation involving around 200-250 km chase took around 2-2.5 hours, DCP Avnish Kumar said.
While Samaypur Badli is around 30 km Shankarpur, the thief had gone towards Wazirabad – Ashok Vihar – Mukarba Chowk. But as police teams were alerted on the border, he took a turn and returned, and eventually abandoned the car at Samaypur Badli.
“The kidnapper was constantly changing their route. He reached Wazirabad via Ashok Nagar and then Outer North district. He realized that the police were chasing him, which is why he kept changing routes,” the police officer said.
The DCP said that two kids handled the situation bravely, and they were not harmed by the kidnapper. The kids said that the kidnapper had a sharp weapon and a hammer with him. “Both children are safe and have been reunited with their parents,” he said. The DCP added that some valuables, including jewellery and mobile phones, were found intact as the kidnapper fled under the pressure of being chased by the police. Efforts are on to nab the kidnapper, and police are scanning CCTV footage of the area for clues. DCP Avnish Kumar urged people to not leave children in vehicles unattended, and not leave cars unlocked.
