Hyderabad: A 25-year-old man allegedly kidnapped two students of St. Mary's School and demanded lakhs of rupees from their parents as ransom. Mupparapu Chandra Shekar, who had got disqualified in the recent sub-inspector recruitment test lured the two 9-year-old students and took them to an internet cafe near Manohar theatre. Police tracked the suspect and arrested him within hours after the victims’ parents lodged a complaint.
A science graduate and a native of Jagityala District, Chandra Shekar plotted the kidnap to make some money as he has been jobless for three years since graduation.
“He collected the phone numbers of parents of kids in St. Mary’s School with the help of two people named Rakesh and Ganesh, whom he offered marketing jobs. He told them that he needed the phone numbers to start a tuition class. He then planned the kidnap,” said North Zone DCP B. Sumathi.
“On February 13, he met the two children from Class V and asked them to join his tuition class. The accused met them again the next evening and took them to an Internet cafe,” the DCP said.
From there, he called their parents from a public phone booth (coin-box phone) and demanded a ransom of Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 1 lakh, respectively, for releasing their children. He also used the mobile phone of a passer by to make another call.
“He asked them to leave the money at a Metro pillar near Peenugula Mallanna temple. Our team went to the spot in plain clothes, and arrested him. The children were also safely rescued and handed over to their parents,” said Sumathi.
Police found that Chandra Shekar, who came to city to attend the SI recruitment test, was living at Trimulgherry. He had failed in Medical test during the recruitment. After that he planned to kidnap children and extort money from their parents. Police have recovered phone numbers of dozens of parents from his possession.
