UP Police rescue minor boys 24 hours after they were kidnapped from Lucknow

Lucknow, Sep 12 (PTI) Police rescued two boys, aged 10 and 12, a day after they were kidnapped from the Alambagh police station area here.

A 19-year-old suspect has been taken into police custody in connection with the kidnapping.

According to police, Pradyuman (10) and Arjun (12) were reported missing by their families after they did not return from cycling on Thursday night.

Their fathers, a rickshaw driver and a bike mechanic, notified the police after receiving a text message on Friday morning demanding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh for each child.

Station House Officer (SHO) Subhash Chandra Saroj said police launched a search and reviewed CCTV footage, which showed a man taking the boys away on a bicycle.

The police identified the suspect and traced his location to Gola Gokrannath in Lakhimpur Kheri district.

"A special team was dispatched that rescued the boys and arrested the man, identified as Vijay Sharma (19)," the SHO said.

Sharma, from Sitapur, was living in Lucknow's Patel Nagar at the time of the incident. He is now in police custody, and legal proceedings are underway. PTI CDN OZ OZ