Abducted youths released after 66 days

AGRA - Two youths, kidnapped by a dacoit group which sent a parcel containing four severed fingers to the family to pressurise them to pay the ransom, returned home Thursday after 66 days in captivity. Their fingers were intact.

Sources, not wanting to be identified, said the efforts of the family members and a possible ransom of Rs.25 lakh helped the release of Gaurav, 21 and Rajat 16. The two were found near Ladukhera near Saiyan block Thursday morning.

Police however, denying any ransom was paid, said it was the combined pressure from all sides on the Mukesh Thakur, Rajedra Gujar and Vishnu Parihar gangs. In recent weeks, police teams from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had launched massive combing operations in the dacoit prone terrain.

Gaurav and Rajat, sons of Fatehpur Sikri utensil dealer Dinesh Garg and Raj Kumar, were kidnapped Sep 12, while they were on way to fetch milk in the morning. Their mobike was found lying in a ditch.

The youth’s family members were shocked when a parcel containing four fingers was received Oct 19. Samples of the fingers were then sent to the forensic lab and the report is yet to come.

“They have scaled down their demand to Rs.25 lakh, and have threatened to send more fingers,” Anil Garg, the boys’ uncle had told the media then. “But I don’t believe the fingers they have sent are of our boys. It is just pressure tactics,” he said