Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Request Assistance Finding Kidnapped Indian Boy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7035206.stm

Family's agony over kidnapped Bihar boy
By Amarnath Tewary Patna, Bihar

Every time the phone or the door bell rings, hope rekindles for the Pandey family in the eastern Indian city of Patna, capital of Bihar state. They hope that somebody will be calling with good tidings about their only son, Aakash Pandey, 14, who was kidnapped two months ago in what is India's most lawless state. On 10 August, Aakash was abducted by a group of men while on his way to his school.

In Bihar, extortionists and kidnappers regularly target the rich - but it's still not clear why Aakash was seized.

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After spending more than 50,000 rupees ($1,100), the family's efforts have come to a naught.
Mr Pandey works as laboratory assistant in a government office earning barely enough to run his family of five.

"I have gone into severe debt with all these expenses but once Aakash returns I will take a loan from the office to repay," says a teary-eyed Mr Pandey.

"My tears are drying up. I'm a broken man. I don't know where to go and to whom," he said in a choked voice.

His wife, Anju Pandey, and two daughters, Aakanksha and Ankita, also cannot hold back their tears.

snip

Yogendra Pandey cannot understand why the son of such a lowly paid government employee was kidnapped.

"I do not have the means to even pay 10,000 rupees ($256) as ransom. They must have abducted him on a mistaken identity," he said.

snip

The police appear to have washed their hands of the case - they have not even been able to recover the minivan which was used for the kidnapping.

"We're absolutely clueless about this," said Bihar police chief Ashish Ranjan Sinha.
Bihar has a reputation as India's kidnapping capital.

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I request and pray that a wealthy person announce an award for information leading to the return of this young boy and information about his whereabouts. I also hope this sponsor of justice can help the family financially and with interfacing with the police. Many thanks in advance.