BUTWAL, Sept 26: Indian police have released the mastermind in the abduction and subsequent killing of a 10-year-old Nepali boy despite the existence of ample evidence against the culprit, it is learnt.
According to a Nepali police source, a joint police team from India and Nepal had arrested Ramesh Yadav from Mumbai on December 21 last year.
Ramesh is the mastermind in the addution for ransom and subsequent killing of Diwakar Yadav, the son of Rupendehi businessman Parashuram Yadav.
However, Nautanwa police post in India released Ramesh within a week of his arrest and without further investigations, acccording to a police source.
“While recording his statement at the police station, Ramesh had conceded that he had Diwaker kidnapped to collect a huge ransom, but the child was killed amid misunderstanding among the kidnappers”, said a police officer at District Police Office Rupandehi who was involved in the investigations. “ He had also named another person involved in the heinous crime”.
A video recording of Ramesh´s statement is safe with Nepali police. Ramesh was the one who had repeatedly called the boy´s famliy and demanded Rs 7.5 million in ransom.
“Releasing the accused within a week of arrest despite his confession to the crime can have many implications,” another police officer said. It has added to police suspicion that there might be money behind the release or may be there will be a long list of arrests if investigations are pursued further.
“It seems Indian police wanted to dismiss the case”, the police officer said.
Indian police had rejected pleas from Nepali investigating officers to carry out investigations of the crime from the Indian side as the victim was taken to India after abduction and killed there.
Nepali police and the Indian side had a heated debate at a meeting of border security officers of both countries held in Bhairahawa after the Nepali side requested the Indians to cooperate in curbing cross-boarder crime. The Indian police superintendent of boardering Maharajganj district had assured further investigations into the Diwaker case.
Indian police recently initiated cases against the culprits after an Indian court directed them to conduct investigations. Diwaker´s family had knocked on the court doors and on July 22 and Maharajganj Court had directed Indian police to investigate the case properly.
Parashuram Yadav had lodged a First Information Report at Brijmand police post of Maharajganj district in India, categorically naming 11 persons involved in his son´s abduction and killing.
Diwakar was abducted while returning home from Nepal Nalanda Higher Secondary School in Bhairahawa on June 5 last year. Police investigations show that he was taken to India by Duryodhan Yadav, a distant maternal uncle.
Indian nationals Ramesh Yadav, Jhinak Yadav, Anshu Singh, Tulla Musalman,Mansur Alam Musalman, and Srawan Pandey along with Nepali citizens Duryodhan Yadav, Alam Churihar, Barkat Ali, Kudarat Ali and Arman Musalman are accused of the crime.
A Nepal Police team had recovered the boy´s body from Badahari village in Utter Pradesh of India on January 27, nine months after the abduction. Diwaker could not escape his fate although his family paid out Rs 1.1 million.
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