12-year-old kidnapped boy resurfaces, exposes gang

PANIPAT - A 12-year-old boy, kidnapped three years back, resurfaced Monday, claiming he was confined in a dera (sect) base in Urnalan Kalan town of the district, police said.

“Some miscreants had kidnapped my son three years ago from the railway station. We had filed a police complaint but we did not get any information,” Sajo, mother of the boy, Anam, told reporters here.

“Anam told us that there are more children between the age-group of 10 to 14 years who are working as bonded lobourers in that ‘dera’. My son used to sweep the floor, feed the animals (cows and buffaloes) and did various odd jobs there,” she added.

However, police have not made any arrest so far.

“We have recorded Anam’s statement. We are still verifying the facts and other details. It could be some big gang but it is too early to reach any conclusion. We have got some missing complaints of slum children from this area in the past and the recent case is of Feb 13,” said a police official.

Taking cognizance of Anam’s revelations, the Haryana government has also intervened in the case.

“We are taking this matter very seriously. I have talked to the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Panipat district. They are all looking into the matter and we would not spare the guilty,” Haryana Social Justice Minister Geeta Bukkal said.