25 September,2012 09:28 AM IST | | Sandip Kolhatkar
Shubh Bhupender Raval, the son of a scientist of Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), was abducted on Sunday evening by a 19-year-old student of hotel management, and strangulated to death on a hilltop at Ramnagar in Pashan.u00a0
Despicable act: The arrested and the detained minor at the Chatushringi police station yesterday afternoon
According to the police, the accused, Parmindar Singh is the son of a retired army personnel, who currently works as a security guard at the Defence Security Corps (DSC). The accused wanted to buy a bike so he and an unnamed 15-year-old accomplice hatched the plan to kidnap Shubh and demand Rs 5 lakh for his release. Incidentally, both the accused and their families are originally from Dehra Dun.
Shubh Bhupender Raval. Pic/Krunal Gosavi
When Parmindar went ahead and kidnapped Shubh, the minor backed out and went into hiding. The plan however went awry when the child raised the alarm and tried to escape from Parmindar's clutches.
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The accused then strangulated Shubh with a handkerchief and hid the body in the dense undergrowth near a high wall atop the hill. The murder came to light after 100 residents from the area launched a search operation and the nervous juvenile, who was hiding at home, told locals and subsequently the police arrived on the scene. Chatushringi police arrested the Parmindar and detained the juvenile accomplice, who also happens to be the son of another security guard working with DSC in Pashan.
DCP (Zone III) Shahaji Umap said, "In the evening, Shubh's mother, who is also a scientist with HEMRL, visited a Ganesh mandal nearby and left her son to play with other children outside. She returned and failed to find Shubh anywhere and alerted others in the area by around 8.30 pm. A missing complaint was filed with the Pashan police chowky."
How plan began
Umap said that Parmidar, who is a first year hotel management student, confessed that he wanted a bike. The plan came up after he read a newspaper clipping about seven men who kidnapped a boy in Hishiyarpur recently, collected the ransom amount and disappeared without a trace.
Regarding the minor's involvement, Umap said, "The Juvenile told Parmindar about Shubh, who was from a wealthy family and would make an easy victim."
Umap said the accused wanted to execute the kidnapping with the help of a juvenile, who refused to play along.
On Sunday evening, the accused went to the Ganesh mandal where Shubh was playing and abducted him after promising him a chocolate. He then took him to the hilltop at around 6.30 pm.
Parmindar then called the juvenile to get Shubh's parent's phone number, but he again refused and switched off his phone. Meanwhile, Shubh started shouting and tried to excape, which led to Parmindar strangling him, dumping the body and fleeing.
"We first detained the minor and later nabbed Parmindar from his home. He led us to the spot where he dumped the body at 1 am yesterday. We have arrested Parmindar under Section 302 (murder), 363 (kidnapping) and 34 (common intention) and he will be produced in court on Tuesday. The minor will be produced in the Juvenile Court on Tuesday," said PI Ajay Kadam of Chatushringi police station.u00a0
