Kidnapping ghost haunts Bihar

Five abduction incidents reported in the last one week across the state

The most shocking of them was the kidnapping and subsequent killing of seven-year-old school boy Satyam here. Satyam’s body, with a slit throat, was recovered here on Saturday.
Satyam was kidnapped on Friday while he was playing outside his house at Kankarbagh in the evening. The two teenage boys accused, Avinash and Monu, who were apprehended by the police, have confessed their involvement in the gruesome incident.
“We planned the abduction after watching the movie ‘Kidnap’. But, since the boy started crying too much, we killed him,” said Avinash.
In a similar incident, Jitendra, an intermediate student, was kidnapped and killed in Bettiah. His body was recovered on Saturday even as his family was arranging the ransom money.
In another incident, Rithik, the seven-year-old son of renowned medical practitioner Dr Sudhir Kumar, was kidnapped from Muzaffarpur. The Muzaffarpur unit of the Indian Medical Association has issued an ultimatum to the SP to find Rithik within 24 hours, or else it has threatened to paralyse the medical services.
The most mysterious of them all, the brother of former RJD MP Vijay Krishna has been reportedly abducted from Patna.
The Nitish regime, which earned accolades for establishing the rule of law in the otherwise lawless state, has asked the top police brass to crack the recent kidnapping cases.
The police are spending sleepless nights investigating the case of Satyendra Singh, brother of former MP from Barh Vijay Krishan. Incidentally, Krishan, who defeated Nitish Kumar in the 2004 LS polls, is now with the Janata Dal (U). But, even the ruling party tag has not helped him trace his missing brother.
In another incident,  film producer Braj Tak was abducted from the Patna airport. However, the police found the documentary film-maker on the Bapudham Express in North Bihar. Braj had come to Bihar to shoot a documentary on the Indian Railways and was supposed to go to Hajipur, the headquarters of the East Central Railway. But, he was kidnapped for ransom from the Patna airport. “The kidnappers had asked Rs 1 crore for my safe release,” said Braj after his recovery.
The spate of kidnapping incidents has given the RJD the much-needed ammunition to launch a vitriolic attack on Nitish Kumar. “The CM should explain how, immediately after the elections, the so-called ‘sushashan’ (good governance) has gone for a toss,” said RJD spokesperson and Lalu’s closest aide Shyam Razak.