The sessions court on Monday handed life sentences to two youngsters, Sandeep Singh and Ajay Singh, who had abducted a 12-year-old boy in February 2010.
The incident dates back to February 10, 2010, when Bandra resident Ashutosh Mendis was abducted by three men while he was on his way to school.
The accused then called up the complainant, Ashutosh’s father Anthony, and demanded a ransom of `17 lakh, threatening to harm the boy if the demand was not fulfilled. They also told him not to attempt to contact the police.
However, by that time, Anthony had already lodged a missing persons complaint with the Khar police, which started making inquiries. Finally, acting on a tip-off, the accused were traced and arrested.
Special public prosecutor P.S. Tawde said, “It was very difficult for us to link everything properly, especially in the backdrop of the Adnan Patrawala case. But we did it. However, one accused who was released on bail has gone missing. We are still trying to trace him.”
After listening to arguments of both the defence and the prosecution, the court, presided over by Judge C.M. Salunke observed that the abduction had been planned out, and that the accused would have killed the boy had they not been traced in time. This, the court said, justified the life sentence.