By IANS,
Lucknow : Former Uttar Pradesh home minister’s grandson who was allegedly kidnapped Tuesday from Allahabad remains untraced, a police official said Thursday.
Sashwat Tripathi, 15, grandson of former state home minister Rajendra Tripathi, went missing late Tuesday when he left his home to meet his friends in Allahabad city, about 200 km from here.
“The family members lodged an FIR (First Information Report) on Wednesday after they failed to trace him,” Lalji Shukla, senior superintendent of police of Allahabad, told IANS.
Although the police officially denied it was a case of kidnapping and said they are verifying the incident, sources said that the family received a ransom call of Rs.2.5 million.
“A missing report has been lodged and we are trying to ascertain his location,” Shukla added.
Police sources said that a close friend of the boy has been detained for questioning.
“Initial interrogation of the boy revealed that Sashwat was kidnapped and taken to Bihar,” the source said.
Tripathi is at present the executive member of the state Congress party and in charge of the party’s affairs in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district.
Meanwhile, the Congress has warned of a statewide agitation against the police for their lethargic way of handling the case of missing Sashwat.
Tripathi plans to meet United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi who will be in Rae Bareli Friday and Saturday.