The body of Abhay Modani, a Class 10 student, was found in a TV package box near Alpha Hotel in Secunderabad.
Highlights
- 15-year-old Abhay Modani kidnapped for ransom on Wednesday
- Family first asked to pay Rs 10 crore as ransom, later only Rs 5 crore
- 3 arrested men suspected to be former employees of Modani's father
A 15-year-old boy was kidnapped and murdered in Hyderabad allegedly by four men including one who was known to him.
Abhay Modani, a class 10 student, left home on Wednesday evening for a tiffin shop. Later that night, was smothered, tightly bound with rope and somehow stuffed in a TV package box on Wednesday.
One of the men called Abhay's businessman father Raj Kumar for ransom and declared: "I am kidnapper speaking."
Abhay was long dead by the time the ransom call came, the police believe.
That did not stop the men from demanding 10 crore rupees as ransom and negotiating with Mr Kumar until they were promised at least half that amount.
Mr Kumar, who runs a scrap recycling company, said he had only around 10 lakh rupees lying in his house and some gold. After some haggling, the kidnapper allegedly accused him of lying but finally agreed to settle for five crores.
In a few hours, however, the police realized that the teen may be dead.
The boy was last seen by his parents when he left home around 4.50 pm.
When his mother called half-an-hour later, he said he would be back in 10 minutes. But he never returned. In CCTV visuals, Abhay is seen riding behind one of his alleged kidnappers - a man called Sai, who used to work in a house next to Abhay's till six months ago.
The ransom call was traced to Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad.
CCTV visuals from near the Secunderabad station showed someone dumping the box by the road near a hotel.
Whether the motive was money or murder is being investigated by the police, who have announced a one lakh reward for information on the killers.
Abhay has a twin brother, Akshay.