LUCKNOW: Kanpur has hit the headlines yet again for the wrong reasons. Now, a case of abduction and murder has come to light in the city where the family of the victim - a lab technician- alleged that he was killed even after they paid the ransom money to the kidnappers.
Five persons, including a woman, were arrested in connection with the alleged murder of Sanjeet Yadav who was abducted about a month ago in Barra locality of Kanpur. The cops, however, informed Yadav's family about his death on Thursday evening. His body is yet to be recovered.
Meanwhile, the family members of the victim accused the police of colluding with abductors who escaped after taking Rs 30 lakh ransom.
Taking cognizance of the case, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had cracked the whip on the lax police officials and has ordered the suspension of four senior cops including an IPS and a PPS officer, an Inspector, 2 Sub-Inspectors and five constables with immediate effect. The suspended officers include ASP Aparna Gupta and the then Circle Officer Manoj Gupta, Barra Police Station SHO Ranjeet Rai, Police outpost in-charge Rajesh Kumar and five constables.
Meanwhile, a probe has also been initiated into the ransom of Rs 30 lakh allegedly paid by the deceased's family to the abductors. According to the latest orders, ADG, Police Head Quarters, BP Jogdand has been entrusted with the responsibility to dig deep into all aspects of the case including the abduction, murder, and the missing ransom amount.
Yadav's family members have also alleged that the police forced them to arrange the ransom money, put them in a bag, and then hand them over to the abductors as part of the strategy to nab the culprits.
According to SSP Kanpur Dinesh Kumar, a team of Crime Branch and Surveillance Cell was formed to probe the case and few people had been detained including two of the deceased's friends.
Yadav, a resident of Barra police station area, was a lab technician in a hospital. On the evening of June 22, he left the lab but did not reach home.
Sharing the details of the case, the SSP said that on June 23, missing compliant of Sanjeet Yadav was registered at Barra Police Station and on June 26 an FIR was registered.
A week later, on June 29, his family received the first call for ransom following which Sanjeet's father Chaman Lal informed the police about it.
After noting the number, the police instructed the family to talk to the abductors for a long time whenever they got a call next. However, the police and surveillance cell allegedly could not trace the abductors, who were threatening to kill the young man if ransom money was not paid.
Chaman Lal, who runs a small pan shop, said that he had somehow arranged Rs 30 lakh. "I threw the bagful of cash from the top of the Gujini Bridge in the presence of the police. The abductors escaped with the bag and the police could not catch them. On the contrary, the police started pressuring us to say that there was no money in the bag," said Chaman Lal.
SSP Kanpur Dinesh Kumar met the victim's family and assured them that the cash will be recovered within four days.
SSP Kumar said that based on the preliminary inquiry, some people including two of his friends were taken into custody. During interrogation, the duo revealed that they murdered Yadav on June 26-27 and the body was thrown in Pandu river. “Teams have been formed to recover the body," Kumar said.
Later in the day, SP state chief Naresh Uttam handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased.
Hitting out at the UP Police, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that law and order situation in the state had been failing badly.