A five-year-old child, who was abducted from his school bus days before Republic Day, was rescued from the kidnappers’ hideout in Ghaziabad early on Tuesday. One kidnapper was killed in the shootout, while two others were admitted to hospital, Delhi Police said.
The child, identified as Rehan, was said to be safe and was reunited with his parents.
Sources in Delhi Police said the child was kept captive on the fifth floor of Shalimar City apartment building in Ghaziabad. A rescue mission was launched around 1 am and one policeman was hit on his bullet-proof jacket when the kidnappers opened fire
One of the kidnappers was killed when the police returned fire, while two others received bullet injuries and were admitted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.
Rehan’s abduction was as daring as his rescue. The child was kidnapped from his packed school bus on the morning of January 25 in Delhi's Dilshad Garden by two bike-born men, who also shot at the driver. The kidnap, amid preparation for Republic Day and the ASEAN summit, had raised a question mark on security arrangements in the national capital.
Media organisations had refrained from reporting on the incident on a request from the Delhi Police and keeping in mind the child’s safety.