Indore neighbours hatch kidnapping plot for money:Siblings and married couple plan ransom from wealthy families

A kidnapping case involving two minor boys in Indore’s Lalaram Nagar was solved within seven hours on Thursday evening, with police arresting four accused. The crime was allegedly planned by neighbours driven by unemployment and the desire to make quick money. The victims—Naitik (9) and Samrat (11)—were rescued safely. Plan to target children from affluent families During interrogation, the accused revealed that children from well-off families frequently visited a nearby garden. They planned to kidnap such children and demand ransom. The group conducted surveillance for several days, monitoring children who came to the park. However, the plan failed when Tanisha, acting on Radhika’s instructions, mistakenly abducted children from a different, less affluent family. Police identified Vineet (22) and his sister Radhika Prajapati (19) as the masterminds. They executed the plan with Lalit Sen (21) and his wife Tanisha (20). All four have been arrested. Alert cousin helped crack the case The case came to light due to the alertness of Dhruv, Naitik’s cousin. Dhruv said he had been playing in the garden and briefly returned home due to stomach pain. When Naitik did not return, he went back and learned that a woman had taken Naitik, with Samrat following. He immediately informed his father Rahul Sonkar and other family members, prompting swift police action. CCTV footage provided key evidence Family members searched the area and checked CCTV footage from a nearby house, which showed both children leaving with a woman. This confirmed suspicions of kidnapping, and the police were alerted. Naitik had memorized his mother’s phone number and gave it to the abductors, after which a ransom call was made. Second child’s family unaware initially Samrat’s house was located farther from the garden, and his mother Urmila initially did not know he was missing. She later learned about the incident from Naitik’s family. She received a call around 9 PM, which caused panic, but police assured her of quick action. Samrat is her only son and studies in Class 6. Children lured, fed, then threatened Naitik told police that Tanisha took him in a car to a room, where he was seated on a sofa and lured with promises of showing animals. He was given vermicelli to eat and allowed to play games on a mobile phone. Later, the accused told the children their parents had been contacted and would come to take them home. However, when the children insisted on leaving, they were threatened with harm if ransom money was not received. When police arrived, Radhika allegedly told them to hide under a sheet and remain silent, saying “goons have come.” The frightened boys hid in a gallery. Police operation led to swift arrests Police Commissioner Santosh Singh monitored the operation throughout the night. After tracking mobile locations, teams were sent to multiple areas before zeroing in on a flat in Dutt Nagar under Rajendra Nagar police station limits. Officers in plain clothes conducted surveillance before raiding the flat and arresting all four accused. Police had also prepared for a possible encounter if the accused attempted to collect ransom. Financial distress behind the crime Investigations revealed that Vineet had been unemployed for six months after losing his job at a fraudulent company and not receiving his salary. He also had pending rent dues. Radhika worked in telecalling, while Lalit, a driver, had also been unemployed for months. Tanisha had earlier worked at Flipkart and later at a clothing shop but was struggling financially. Under financial pressure, they planned the crime. Earlier plan to rob jewelry shop failed The accused were known to each other and had earlier planned to rob a jewelry shop about eight days before the incident, but failed. They then shifted to kidnapping. According to police, Tanisha had asked Radhika about ways to earn quick money. Radhika suggested targeting children from wealthy families who visited the garden. However, the accused failed to correctly assess the financial background of the victims, who belonged to modest families—Naitik’s father runs a juice cart, while Samrat’s father is a dholak player. Children lured on pretext of showing animals The accused woman lured the children by offering to show them birds and animals. Police became suspicious after noticing unusual activity and flickering lights in a flat. A raid was conducted, leading to the arrest of all accused.