Four kidnappers killed in Lucknow encounter; boy rescued

Four persons, allegedly involved in the kidnapping of an 11-year-old boy, were today killed in an ecounter with police and special task force (STF) on the outskirts of the city, and the boy was rescued, a senior police officer said.

"Four persons were killed in an encounter in Malihabad area, and the kindnapped boy Gaurav Mishra was rescued," senior superintendent of police Prem Prakash told PTI.

Gaurav, a class seven student of CMS school here, was kidnapped by his driver Surendra Yadav and his three accomplices from Aliganj area yesterday, police said, adding the driver was among the four killed in the encounter.

The kidnappers had telephoned Gaurav's uncle Shivanand Mishra and demanded a ransom of Rs1.5 crore, they said, adding that the call was traced to Sitapur in the state.

The SSP said that during a joint operation, police and STF tracked down the location of the kidnappers in Malihabad area.