New Delhi:
A domestic help has been sentenced to three years in jail by a Delhi court for kidnapping his employer's two-year-old son for a ransom of Rs two crore.
Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri handed down the jail term to Bihar native Sharvan Kumar, saying the "offenders in such heinous offences do not deserve any leniency".
"Kidnapping of children and that for ransom has wreaked havoc in our country. Tender children are used by the offenders to quench their thirst for money...I sentence the convict Sharvan Kumar for three years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 is also imposed on the convict."
The prosecution case dates back to July 18, 2009 when the child's father Aditya Khemka had lodged a complaint with the Kalkaji police station in south Delhi alleging that Sharvan had kidnapped his child and fled from their house.
"All of my family members except me and my son had gone to a neighbour to attend some function. My son was playing with our servant Sharvan. When I went to a
room inside the house to change my clothes, our servant went away along with my son. I searched for them here and there but none of them was found," the father had said in the complaint.
The boy's father had also received a phone call demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore after his child was abducted.
"The accused initially talked in abusive language and then said that he had kidnapped his son. If he wants his safety, he has to pay him Rs two crore," the prosecution said.