DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

A seven-year-old boy was rescued by the Punjab Police within 24-hours of his abduction for a Rs 1-crore ransom with the key accused being killed in an exchange of fire with cops, police said on Thursday.

Three policemen were also injured in the gunfight, they said.

The Punjab Police chief has announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for the police team in successfully rescuing the child. Bhavkirat Singh was kidnapped by two motorcycle-borne kidnappers when he was playing outside his house in Seehan Daud village in Khanna at around 6 pm on Wednesday, the police said.

The boy's grandfather Gurjant Singh, who is a farmer and a commission agent, informed the police about the kidnapping.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Patiala range) Mandeep Singh Sidhu said as soon as police received information about the kidnapping, different teams were formed to trace the abductors and rescue the child.

Speaking to reporters, Sidhu said the kidnappers were seen in Malerkotla after the kidnapping.

Further investigation in the matter led to the arrest of two persons and their questioning led to vital clues in the case, Sidhu said.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav were personally monitoring the case. The kidnappers had demanded Rs 1 crore ransom from the boy's family. The main accused, who was in Fortuner car, was tracked down near Mandour village in Patiala's Nabha, the DIG said.

The accused opened fire at the chasing police team, leading to injuries to three cops, Sidhu said.

In retaliatory fire, the main accused identified as Jasprit Singh sustained serious injuries and later he succumbed. Upon searching the SUV, the police team found the boy who was scared, Sidhu said.

According to the police, Jasprit also hailed from Seehan Daud village from where the boy was kidnapped.

The two other accused, identified as Harpreet Singh and Ravi Bhinder, belonged to Amargarh area. They had planned to kidnap the boy for ransom, Sidhu said.

(editor@dailyworld.in)