2 Men Sentenced To Death For Kidnapping, Killing 7-Year-Old Boy For Rs 4 Crore Ransom

A court in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Monday sentenced to death two men accused of abducting a seven-year-old boy and killing him after failing to get a ransom of Rs 4 crore.

Special judge Devendra Prasad Mishra convicted Vikrant Thakur (25) and Ritik Thakur (23) of charges under sections 364 A (kidnapping for ransom), 302 (murder), and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the victim’s lawyer Ashish S Sharma told reporters.

Citing that the case fell in the “rarest of rare” category, the court sentenced both the accused to death, he said.

While rejecting the defence’s plea for leniency in sentencing, the court observed, “If the manner in which the crime was committed, its heinousness and the audacity of the accused are such that they shock the soul of the society and attack the spirit of humanity, then in such a case, the punishment of life imprisonment is found to be inadequate.” Mr Sharma said Vikrant and Ritik had kidnapped the victim, Harsh Chauhan, from the Pigdambar area on February 5, 2023 and demanded a ransom of Rs 4 crore from his father, Jitendra Chauhan.

When they failed to receive the ransom, the duo strangled the boy to death, he said.

At least 30 witnesses were examined during the trial, the lawyer said.

The victim’s father is associated with Congress, and the accused, Ritik, is a relative whom he often helped, he said.