Relative kidnapped boy for money

Abhishek Dube, 21, who was arrested for kidnapping and murdering his six-year-old relative, Anish Tiwari, on Wednesday, said he wanted money to start a business in Sivan, Bihar.

Dube had been living for two months with another relative, Suresh Tiwari, who was also the child’s uncle.

Senior police inspector Rajan Gule, Kashimira police, told DNA that at the time the child went missing, Dube wasn’t at Tiwari’s home. Tiwari first received a call on Wednesday night where a ransom demand for Rs 10 lakh was made. The following morning when Tiwari received another from the police, telling him his nephew had been killed, Dube was again not at home.

“After about 15 minutes, Dube returned to the residence. This aroused our suspicion,” Gule said.

Gule added that Dube, who was to leave for his native town only on February 19, suddenly decided to leave on February 2. “We searched his belongings and found Rs 30,000. During questioning he said the money was from his employer’s bank. He said he had forged the signature on a cheque he found at the Bhayandar office, where he is an assistant.”

“The employer confirmed that there was a discrepancy in his bank account and was surprised to learn we had recovered his money,” Gule said.

On Wednesday, Anish had stepped out to play, when Dube took him away on the pretext of buying him ice-cream, the police said. “He took the child to the salt pans in Bhayandar at around 9.15 pm. When the child started crying, he panicked and drowned him in a water reservoir,” said .

Gule added that as Dube knew only Tiwari’s telephone number, he had called him instead of the boy’s father. Tiwari told the police the kidnapper spoke with a North Indian accent, little suspecting it was his relative.