An abducted six-year-old boy was murdered in the old Lucknow city Friday after his father, a trader, did not pay a ransom of Rs 3 lakh demanded by the kidnappers.
The boy, named Shivam, had gone missing since Thursday evening.
Police had begun search operations Thursday night after the father Ramanand Tiwari received a ransom call for Rs 3 lakh on his cell phone. They immediately informed the Balaganj police which put the mobile phone on which the ransom call had come, under surveillance. The kidnappers repeated their demand at 2 a.m.
They however developed suspicion that their phone was being tracked and switched off their mobile phone.
Late Friday night the police was informed that the body of a child was lying in the Bari jungle near the Jangaleshwar temple. The family of the boy and senior officials rushed to the spot. The boy was identified by the family as their missing child.
SP (West) Rakesh Singh said that the body had been sent for autopsy. He added that the phone tracking could lead them to the kidnappers. As news of the killing spread, the locality plunged into mourning.