ONGOLE: In a swift move, the Prakasam police rescued a kidnapped three-year-old boy from his father and reunited the toddler with his mother on Saturday. The boy’s father, a 32-year-old software engineer with an IT behemoth in Hyderabad, kidnapped the boy for ransom, police said, adding that he was arrested.
Investigators said the man had been working from home at Cheruvukommupalem after the outbreak of Covid-19. Allegedly addicted to alcohol and gambling, he had incurred a debt of `20 lakh. The money was borrowed to fund his wayward ways.
The accused went home reportedly inebriated and forcibly took the child away from his wife on July 28 night. Later, he contacted his wife over the phone, demanding a ransom to return the boy. He also allegedly threatened to lethally poison the boy before committing suicide if his demand was not met.
After a futile search for the duo by the wife and her relatives, they approached the Ponnaluru police with a complaint on Friday. Investigators acted fast and alerted the local police after tracing the man’s location to a lodge at Kadukur. Police raided the lodge room on Saturday morning and found the man, reportedly drunk, sleeping with boy. The child was later handed over to his mother. Prakasam SP Malika Garg congratulated the Kandukur police for cracking the case in the shortest possible time.