Lawyer and older brother detained after beating underage boy for drinking cold drink with 14-year-old daughter

Kanpur police arrested a 50-year-old lawyer and his elder brother for allegedly kidnapping and brutally assaulting a 17-year-old boy after catching him drinking a cold drink with the lawyer’s minor daughter at a shop Friday night. The store is located a short distance from the lawyer’s home.

Police said the case came to light when the accused lawyer called the victim’s father and threatened to kill his son if he did not reach a particular place within an hour. The victim’s father immediately approached the police who, through surveillance and human intelligence, apprehended the lawyer and his brother. Based on their information, the police located the victim at the lawyer’s farm, where they found him (victim) with his hands and legs tied with ropes, the officer added.

“We are investigating the role of four other people in this case. The lawyer and his brother were produced before a court in Kanpur on Saturday. The court placed them in custody,” said a police officer from the police station concerned.

The defendants were charged with kidnapping and other crimes.

The minor boy is being treated at a hospital in Kanpur and doctors said his condition is stable. “The boy told us that the accused were trying to pull out his toenails during the harassment. We found evidence to support his claims by examining his injuries,” another police officer said.

The lawyer’s 14-year-old daughter knew the boy, who lives just a short walk from her home, a police officer said.

According to police, late Friday night, the boy’s family rushed to the police station and informed them that they had received a call from someone claiming to have kidnapped their son.

The caller threatened to kill the boy and throw his body in a river if the family did not reach the designated location within an hour.

The boy lives with his maternal uncle in Kanpur and is preparing to take admission in a bachelor’s degree course in pharmacy. His parents live in Kanpur Dehat, around 65 km from where the accused had asked them to go.

His family went to Kanpur and contacted the police. After receiving the information, the police swung into action and located the accused through surveillance and human intelligence.

The police arrested the lawyer, who revealed that he had kept the boy in his farm, about three kilometres from his residence. The police stormed the farm and rescued the boy, who had serious injuries on his body. When the police arrived, the other accused present managed to escape, leaving the boy behind.

During interrogation, the boy told police that the accused had abducted him on Friday night while he was having a cold drink with his friend. The accused took him by car to a farm, where he was brutally beaten with sticks and iron rods, police said.

On Saturday, a group of lawyers staged a protest outside the Kanpur police commissioner’s house, demanding action against the boy accused of sexually assaulting the lawyer’s daughter. The case was resolved when police assured them they would look into the charge.

A case has also been registered against the boy, accused of sexual assault and other offences, a police officer said.