By IANS,
New Delhi: Four people, including a former ‘Mr. Delhi’ title winner, were arrested Thursday for their alleged involvement in the murder of 16-year-old schoolboy Ribhu Chawla, who was abducted for a ransom of Rs.2 million, police said.
Ribhu was kidnapped Tuesday and was found murdered Wednesday even after the family paid a ransom of Rs.1.5 million.
Police arrested Kunal Bhandari alias Rocky, 27, and Rishabh Chauhan, 24, from Delhi. Sukhwinder Singh alias Manni, 22, and Gaurav, 20, were arrested from Haridwar in Uttarakhand.
According to police, Rocky, who had won the ‘Mr. Delhi’ title twice, owns a gym and was badly debt-ridden.
The accused wanted to make quick money and planned to abduct Ribhu, son of a Delhi businessman, Sanjay Chawla, police said.
“Rocky came in contact with Ribhu a few days back (before the abduction) through a common friend,” Joint Commissioner of Police Ajai Kashyap told reporters here.
A Class 11 student of the K.R. Mangalam School in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri, Chawla was returning home from school on a bike. His friend Sushanth, riding a scooty two wheeler, was accompanying him.
They were stopped by some men in a Wagon-R car, 40 metres from Ribhu’s home in the State Bank of India Apartments of Vikaspuri.
Sushanth and his cousin informed police. Later in the evening, the kidnappers called up Ribhu’s father and demanded Rs.2 million for the boy’s safe release.
Even as the family paid the ransom, the abductors killed the boy fearing their identity would be disclosed.
“The kidnappers received Rs.1.5 million as ransom from Ribhu’s father. As Rocky was known to the boy, they apprehended he will disclose their identity. They strangulated him using a nylon rope in the running car and dumped the body,” said Kashyap.
Ribhu’s body was found in desolate ruins near Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj area of southwest Delhi. He was identified from the school emblem on his uniform.
Police said the accused took Ribhu to Karnal in Haryana, where they changed the number plate of the car. Around 5.45 p.m. Tuesday, they made a ransom call from Ribhu’s mobile phone to his father and demanded Rs.6 million, Kashyap said.
“They called Chawla thrice and finally agreed on Rs.2 million as the ransom money. Ribhu’s father left Rs.1.5 million as the first instalment on a Delhi bus stop as decided by them,” he said.
They even distributed the cash among themselves. Rocky got Rs.650,000 and Rishabh Rs.400,000 while Manni got Rs.250,000 and Gaurav Rs.200,000.
Police have recovered Ribhu’s mobile phone, the car used in the crime and Rs.800,000 cash from their possession.