Police recover body of kidnapped youth

Teenaged son of a jeweller was kidnapped on Dec 12; body found in Varuna canal

The mystery behind the week-long kidnap drama of a 19-year-old youth from the city further deepened on Wednesday with the body of the youth found in Varuna canal near Jayapura.

Sanjay, son of Tararam, a resident of Hebbal in Vijayanagar, was allegedly kidnapped on December 12. A second PUC commerce student at Vidyashram PU College, Jayalakshmipuram, Sanjay went out of the house on that fateful evening only not to return. Tararam runs Pancharatna Jewellers, K D road, Matrumandali Circle. Sanjay was the eldest among three sons. He was preparing for the ongoing exams, according to his uncle Pemaram.

When his body was found in the water around 4.30 pm, his face had turned black and the head had been tonsured. Cheluvaiah, a local who noticed the body, informed the nearby police. It was only after the arrival of his father, the body was identified as that of Sanjay with the help of earstud and gold chain on the body. Police suspect that, the youth may have been hacked to death a day after his kidnap.

The incident

Sanjay had went out of the house in the evening around 7.30 pm. However, around 9 pm, Sanjay’s father Tararam received a call on his cellphone from his son’s mobile. The caller turned out to be another yelling at Tararam; “Sanjay kaha re, baat kara... (Where is Sanjay, let me speak)” only to disconnect. The stranger called again after 10 minutes only to say that ‘Sanjay has been kidnapped’. He demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh and asked Tararam to come with the amount to Ramanagar. Following this, Tararam lodged a complaint at Vijayanagar police station.

It didn’t take much time for the kidnapper to change his plan and asked Tararam to come with the amount to the handpost at H D Kote. Once, he had even asked Tararam to board Chamarajanagar train 10 minutes ahead of the departure from railway station. Tararam had even arranged for the amount, but only to miss the train. The last call received was on Tuesday around 7.30 pm.

On the other hand, Vijayanagar police who had received a complaint were tracing the cellphone of Sanjay to different locations with the help of mobile tower. From Bidadi to Chennai, Tirupati to H D Kote, the cellphone traced at different places had sent the investigators into a tizzy.

Police commissioner K L Sudheer told media they had formed several teams and had gone to aforesaid places tracing the calls, but in vain. Chennai city police too had been alerted and they too were on the job, the commissioner added.

That apart, with the help of Namma Mane Police, the investigators had checked on around 600 to 800 persons in Vijayanagar alone. The commissioner it was to know whether there were newcomers and also kidnappers who may have been playing hide and seek in the vicinity.

Sudheer said they are probing all angles and he didn’t rule out the possibilities, if any, of those close to the family and also the victim’s friends behind the incident.