Fear of abductions haunts Bihar again

PATNA - With incidents of kidnapping rising during the last one month, the fear of abductions has once again come to haunt Bihar.

Three people, including a 15-year-old school boy, were abducted in the last two days across the state. The Class 9 student, Shubham Kumar, was recovered by the police in Sitamarhi Tuesday — five hours after he was abducted in Muzaffarpur, police said Wednesday.

A businessman’s son, Lalkun Kumar, was abducted at gun point late Monday night when he was returning to his village in Khagaria. The abductors have demanded Rs.5 lakh ransom from his family.

Lalkun’s father Prabhunath Singh is a well-known banana farmer and businessman of Pasraha in Khagaria.

Police have lodged a case of kidnapping and arrested one person in this connection.

Noor Hasan, the owner of a band party, was kidnapped in Patna by unidentified people Tuesday.

His wife lodged a case in Phulwarisharief police station Tuesday after abductors demanded Rs.5 lakh for his safe release.

Patna Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj told IANS that a police team was sent to various places to trace Hasan.

It was a big relief for the police when they recovered Shubham, who was abducted Tuesday morning when he was on his way to his DAV school in Muzaffarpur.

Another good news for the police was that abductors Tuesday freed Deepak Kumar, a businessman who was kidnapped 20 days ago.

But the police is still clueless about Ajay Kushwaha, a plywood dealer, who was kidnapped in Muzaffarpur at gun point early this month.

The police have also failed to make any breakthrough in tracing five-year-old Golu, who was abducted in Gaya district Dec 23.

Three days ago, the body of an abducted school boy was found in Patna. In another case, the body of an abducted schoolboy was found in Begusarai late last week.

During the last one month, more than a dozen cases of kidnapping have been reported across the state.

The fresh abduction spree is giving sleepless nights to parents, teachers and school authorities here as several abducted school boys were killed during the last four years.

The news of the killing of school boy Amarjeet Kumar and other abducted people in the last few weeks has created panic. “We are worried and again feel unsafe,” said Kanchan Singh, the mother of a 17-year-old school student.

A father, who did not wish to be named, said he would now rethink allowing his son and daughter to play outside the house. “We have to take precautions in view of the spate of kidnappings,” he said.

“It is bad news for the state. The government should take it seriously,” said Anjum Perween, a mother of three students.

Additional Director General of Police P.K. Thakur admitted that the police was worried over a sudden spurt in cases of kidnapping in the state.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had claimed during campaigning for the recently-concluded state assembly polls that kidnappings had come down drastically during his rule.