Tension simmered in Ranipur village of Bettiah in West Champaran of Bihar after the body of a class 9th student was recovered near the Kumarbagh steel plant on Friday morning; the deceased student was missing since Wednesday, October 11.
According to the reports, the student who has been identified as Ashish, a resident of Ranipur village under Kumarbag O.P, had gone to school and had been missing since Wednesday afternoon. Later on the family members via a phone call got to know about the kidnapping of Asish, the abductors also demanded a ransom of Rs 20 lakhs following which the family members informed the police.
It’s been reported that upon receiving the information the Bettiah police initiated an investigation into the matter and also enquired a number of fellow students who informed that Ashish crossed the school premises in the afternoon and has been missing since then. Though, amid the investigation into the matter, Ashish’s body has been traced behind the Kumarbagh steel plant on Friday morning.
The brutal murder of the student has now sparked an outrage among the locals who are of the opinion that the police should have taken the abduction angle seriously. Speaking with the media Ashish’s father claimed that he got a call from the kidnappers on Wednesday evening who asked for a ransom of Rs 20 lakhs and threatened to kill his son if not paid.
बेतिया: फिरौती की मांग पूरी नहीं करने पर अगवा छात्र की हत्या। pic.twitter.com/9ASXHLHRmg
— News18 Bihar (@News18Bihar) October 13, 2023
Further the deceased uncle’s claimed that Ashish was taken to a nearby pond where the kidnappers first tied them and beat him mercilessly following which his eyes were also gouged out. Meanwhile the Bettiah police while taking to twitter had earlier informed that they have received a complaint regarding a missing student on Wednesday evening and the police has initiated an enquiry into the matter.
A few boys have been called at the police station and enquired while a few men have been also detained by the police who are being grilled. Initial enquiry suggests that the missing student has run away by crossing the school wall on Wednesday afternoon. The matter is being investigated, informed Bettiah police in a series of tweets late Thursday evening.
It is to be noted that earlier in a similar case, a grade VI student was also abducted in Bihta of Bihar in March this year. Tushar Kumar, son of a government teacher, was abducted by one Mukesh Kumar on March 16, Mukesh had also demanded ransom money of Rs 40 lakhs and threatened Tushar’s father with dire consequences if he opted to disclose the matter to the police. However, after not being paid the money, the abductor Mukesh Kumar later murdered Tushar and threw his body behind a hospital from where it was recovered on March 19.
Notably, the Nitish Kumar-led ruling alliance has been on the target of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over law and order situation lately, where the Samrat Chaudhary-led party in the state has been alleging the Mahagathbandhan government for failing to contain the sprut in crimes in Bihar.
