MANGALURU: An eight-year-old boy who was abducted on Thursday from near his house at Ujire in Dakshina Kannada district is yet to be traced. According to his family members, the kidnappers have demanded Rs 17 crore as ransom for his release.Four kidnappers reportedly arrived in a car and abducted Anubhav, a Class 3 student of a school in Ujire on Thursday evening. He is the son of Bijoy, a businessman and resident of Ashawathakatte in Ujire.
The boy’s grandfather, Shivan, who is an Army veteran, filed the complaint at the Belthangady police station. According to the police, the incident occurred when Anubhav was heading home from a playground at Rathabeedi, while his grandfather was also returning after a walk. When Anubhav reached the gate of his residence, the two culprits came in the car and forced him into it, before fleeing with
the boy.
Ransom through bitcoins
The kidnappers had escaped, even as Shivan tried to rescue his grandson. Shivan, in his complaint, said that after a while the kidnappers sent a message to his daughter-in-law and demanded 100 bitcoins (valued at Rs 17 crore) to release the boy or to pay up the amount in cash. The Belthangady police said that a special team has been formed to trace and arrest the abductors at the earliest.
“We have received information that the kidnappers headed towards Hassan. However, we are trying to verify whether the kidnappers knew the family,” said an officer from the Belthangady police station, adding that further investigations are on.