When Niranjan Kumar, an Income Tax (I-T) official from Bengaluru, and his wife bought their 19-year-old son a brand new motorcycle, little could they have anticipated the turn of events.
On Tuesday, Sharath, a second-year student of automobile engineering at Acharya Institute of Engineering, set out from his home in Ullala main road to meet his friends.
According to reports, he wanted to show his new Royal Enfield bike to his friends. Hours later, what Sharath’s parents received, was the news of their son’s kidnap.
Sharath had reportedly left home at around 6.30 pm on Tuesday evening, and when he failed to return home even after 8 pm, his mother made repeated efforts to reach him on the phone.
While her calls went unanswered, she soon received a video on WhatsApp from Sharath's number, in which he said that he had been kidnapped by people who have suffered because of his father.
According to The New Indian Express, Sharath said in the video message:
Hello Father, people who have suffered at your hands have kidnapped me. They want Rs 50 lakh. They will call tomorrow, and they are torturing me severely. Please somehow get it (the money). Please. Please arrange it as soon as possible, until then I will be with them.
The Times of India reports that in the video, Sharath urged his parents not to file a police complaint and said that his abductors were also plotting to kidnap his sister.
Janana Bharati police, who have registered a case and are investigating, told reporters that the video was shot inside a car, and that there were no visible signs of injury on Sharath.
Although Sharath had said in his video message that his alleged kidnappers would get in touch with the family, they haven't done so yet.
According to Bengaluru City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar, four teams have been formed to investigate the case.
(This article was first published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)
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