New Delhi:
Two siblings who were allegedly kidnapped from their school four days ago were found dead in New Delhi today. Their bodies were found in decomposed state near Pragati Maidan in the heart of the city.
The children - a seven-year-old boy and his five-year-old sister - went missing four days ago from Mandawli in east Delhi. They had gone to their school on February 26, but did not return home.
The kidnappers called the parents a couple of times and demanded Rs. 30 lakh as ransom. They also informed the parents about the place they wanted them to come to with the desired money and fixed the time for meeting twice. The parents however say they did not go to pay the amount hoping the police would nab the culprits soon.
Sources in the police say the day the children went missing, their mother was mysteriously locked inside her house when she was about to leave to pick her children from the school. The school's management claims the children knew the person they left with.
"The children recognised the man as a family member. They called him "chacha" (uncle). He had come to pick them up earlier as well. The police have taken our statements and spoken to several students too who are helping them draw a sketch of the suspect," the school's principal said.
But the children's mother is inconsolable. "It is the fault of the school. I used to go there to bring them daily," she said.
Her husband works at a financial institution. He suspects his landlord's involvement in the kidnapping of his children.
Angry over the alleged security lapse at the school and inaction of the police, around a 100 people gathered outside Mandawli police station today and raised slogans. Protests also happened outside the school.
The capital saw much violent protests yesterday in Mangolpuri area, where a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped at a primary school run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).