A kidnapping, a Rs 40 lakh ransom, ‘bathroom grave’: How 12-year-old was killed by ‘trusted’ neighbours in UP

Police said both accused are from Prayagraj and had been running a box-making shop in Chitrakoot for the past eight years.

The victim, a Class VIII student, was the youngest son of businessman Ashok Kesarwani, who runs a cloth shop in the Bargarh area of Chitrakoot.

The victim, Ayush Kesarwani, was a Class VII student.

Speaking over the phone to The Indian Express, his grandfather, Ramesh Chandra Kesarwani (63), said the act was a vishwasghat, a betrayal of trust.

He said the accused were their tenants, known to the family for nearly eight years. “They were treated like close relatives. We stood by them in their business and family problems and helped them whenever they needed it. Recently, we even gave money to one of the accused for his marriage and his sister’s wedding,” Kesarwani said.

His voice choked with grief, Kesarwani alleged it was greed for money that drove the accused to kidnap and kill his grandson. “There was no dispute or enmity between us. My grandson went to their house on his own because he knew them so well,” he added.

According to police, Ayush was playing outside his house on Thursday evening when he suddenly went missing. His family began searching the neighbourhood but could not trace him.

His grandfather said it was around two hours later, around 8.30 pm, that they got two ransom calls demanding Rs 40 lakh for Ayush’s release. The callers asked the family to bring the money to Bargarh Ghati within an hour, he added.

Fearing for the child’s safety, the family immediately informed the police and a search operation was launched.

Using technical surveillance, police said they identified the suspects as tenants of the victim’s family. Acting on human intelligence and other inputs, police teams tracked down and arrested the two accused around 4 am on Friday.

During questioning, police said the accused allegedly admitted to kidnapping and killing the boy.

Superintendent of Police, Chitrakoot, Arun Kumar, said they took the accused to the spot where they claimed to have hidden the phone used to make the ransom call. After recovering the phone, the accused led police teams to several locations where they claimed to have buried the child.

The SP said at one of the locations, the accused allegedly snatched a weapon from a police personnel and opened fire on the police team. In retaliation, the police fired back. While Kallu was killed, Irfan was admitted to a hospital with injuries; doctors said his condition is stable.

Police also searched the accused’s house, located next to the victim’s residence, and recovered Ayush’s body. A police officer said they suspect the boy was killed shortly after the kidnapping, and his body was buried in the bathroom and plastered over.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination and the report is awaited.

Later in the day, angered by the killing, residents, traders and businessmen staged a protest. Raising slogans and demanding justice for the victim, they blocked the busy Mirzapur-Jhansi highway.

Teams from several police stations, along with senior officers, rushed to the spot to manage the situation and restore traffic. Police officers also appealed to protesters to clear the road.

SP Singh said efforts were underway to clear the highway through dialogue and persuasion. “With the help of public representatives and local community members, we are trying to convince the protesters to remove the blockage peacefully,” he said.