5-month-old kidnapped for ransom in Assam, body found buried in jungle

Silchar : The body of a five-month-old baby, allegedly kidnapped from home while his parents were asleep, was recovered from a jungle in Assam's Cachar district, police said on Saturday.

Police said that Dhrubajyoti, whose father Debojyoti Nath is a motor mechanic, was abducted from their house at Kazidahar in southern Assam's Cachar district late Tuesday night .

The kidnappers entered the house through a window while the baby was asleep beside his parents, the police added

The infant was constantly crying in the custody of the kidnappers, who then strangulated him and buried the body at Amjurghat, about 7 km from Kazidahar, explained the police.

The kidnappers contacted the parents on Wednesday and demanded Rs 10 lakh for handing back the child but reduced the demand to Rs 1.5 lakh after negotiations.

"When a woman relative of the family went to a tea garden on Friday to hand over the money, police personnel in disguise arrested the culprits, who admitted to their crime," a police official said.

Three persons have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping. The arrested persons took the investigators to the spot where the body was found buried, police said. Police is now looking for a few other accused in the case.

The motive behind the kidnapping and the killing is yet to be fully ascertained as an investigation is underway, they said.

Assam Assembly Deputy Speaker Aminul Hoque Laskar demanded that those behind the incident should be hanged.

Laskar, who is an MLA from Sonai where the incident happened, told that he has asked police to take strict action against the accused and ensure that the case is tried in a fast track court.

( Inputs from various agencies )