New Delhi: The Delhi Police, in a successful three-hour car chase, rescued two siblings aged three and 11 years who were kidnapped from the Laxmi Nagar area, officials said on Saturday.
The accused demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from the parents of the siblings, they said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Apurva Gupta said that they received information regarding the kidnapping of a boy (3) and a girl (11) in their own car on Friday at 11.30 pm.
The siblings' father informed the police that the children were sitting in the car, in front of Hira Sweets shop in Vikas Marg in Shakarpur area. He and their mother went inside the shop to buy some sweets when a man, pretending to be a parking worker, came and sat inside their car, Gupta said.
The accused told the children that their parents had asked him to park the car in the parking lot but he sped away. He also threatened the girl by showing her a hammer and telling her to remain silent, the DCP said.
While driving, he called the couple from another mobile phone and demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh, she said.
Upon receiving information, rescue teams were activated and two teams were formed to trace the accused and the children. One team was led by the Station House Officer (SHO) of Shakarpur police station along with the children's mother and another led by the SHO of Laxmi Nagar police station with their father, Gupta said.
Based on technical surveillance, both teams started searching for the accused in two separate directions. The teams of Special Staff, and other neighbouring districts were also mobilised for the search of the kidnapped children, the officer said.
Gupta said after around a three-hour neck-to-neck chase by around 20 vehicles of police officers, the kidnapper abandoned the car with the kids near the Samaypur Badli area and escaped.
In between, the accused drove the vehicle for over 100 kilometres on the street of Delhi, the officer said.
The teams finally managed to rescue the children, who were safe and sound. They have been reunited with their parents, she added.
The officer said the valuables, including jewellery and mobile phones kept in the car, were also found intact, as the kidnapper had no time to take anything when he found himself being chased by the police from all sides, DCP said.
Gupta said the other districts' police teams, especially Outer North district and Railway Protection Force (RPF), also helped immensely in this operation, and their prompt actions are appreciated.
Teams have been formed to arrest the accused, Gupta added.