Want easy money? Let's kidnap

That's what two young men had planned when they abducted a 10-year-old boy. Fortunately, the cops got to them first

It could have become another example of how the temptation to lead the good life can make criminals out of many of us.

Two young men, who were employed but not making enough money to maintain their swish lifestyles, kidnapped the 10-year-old son of a senior Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) employee. They abducted the boy on Monday, demanded the ransom, but fortunately, before the money could be paid, were apprehended by the cops and the boy was freed.u00a0

The victim, a student of Class V of Shanti Gyan Niketan Public School, Dwarka, and had stepped out of his house in Nangloi at 4 pm to buy cold drink when he was kidnapped by two men. According to the police, the victim's father received a call from the kidnappers on Monday evening for a ransom of Rs 30 lakh.

"The kidnapper, who had called from a PCO, threatened to kill the boy if their demands were not met," said Sharad Agarwal, deputy commissioner of police (West). By Tuesday, the cops had arrested the two miscreants, who were known to the victim. Navdeep, 21, had worked as a driver with the victim's father a few months ago and the other, Sandeep Rathe, is a conductor of a Blueline bus and an accomplice of Navdeep.

"The two wanted easy money to maintain their extravagant lifestyles. The accused regularly visited a gym to exercise; had girl friends. But being financially weak, they became debt-ridden. And to ease off the financial crunch, they planned the kidnapping," added Agarwal.