Jhansi: A 13-year-old boy who was kidnapped was found murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot district on Friday, his body stuffed inside a suitcase. Police said the two accused kidnappers were shot when they allegedly attempted to escape during the recovery of the crime weapon; one of them later died on the way to hospital.
The victim, Ayush Kesarwani, a Class 7 student from the Bangar area, went missing on Thursday evening. Around 8.30 pm, his father Ashok, a cloth merchant, received a call from an unknown number demanding ₹40 lakh as ransom.
Police identified the accused as Irfan (28) and Kallu (22), who allegedly used a cellphone stolen from one of Ashok’s relatives to make the ransom call. Both men, originally from Prayagraj, had moved to the area about a year ago and ran a small unit making tin boxes and trunks.
They had earlier been tenants in Ashok’s property but were asked to vacate in September last year over alleged suspicious activities. Police said the duo, reportedly harbouring a grudge, later shifted to a nearby house and lured Ayush to their room.
After the boy went missing, Ashok alerted the police. Teams from around 10 police stations, along with SOG and SWAT units, launched a search operation. Technical surveillance helped trace the phone used for the ransom call, enabling police to track down the suspects before they could destroy evidence or flee.
The accused were arrested early Friday after an overnight search. During interrogation, they allegedly confessed to killing the boy, placing his body in a suitcase and burying it near his home.
“The accused were taken to a nearby forest area for recovery of the stolen cellphone. They kept trying to mislead us about the location of the body. At one point, they snatched a weapon from a policeman and opened fire. Police retaliated, injuring both. While being taken to hospital, Kallu was declared dead. Irfan has been referred to a higher medical centre in Prayagraj,” Chitrakoot SP Arun Kumar Singh said.
Police said Kallu had a prior criminal record, including one murder case and two other cases registered in Prayagraj.
The killing triggered widespread protests in the area, with large numbers of residents staging a sit-in and blocking a national highway for several hours. Protesters demanded strict punishment for the accused, compensation for the victim’s family, and a government job for a family member. They also sought assurances that they would not face action for the road blockade.
Senior police and administrative officials later reached the spot and appealed to the protesters to disperse, assuring them that appropriate action would be taken.
