Even Ramadan couldn't control them! Couple kidnap little niece for ransom, murder her

Bangalore, Jul 11: Here's a tale of horror that will send shivers down your spine. In the holy month of Ramadan, a 28-year-old man and his wife kidnapped their seven-year-old niece for ransom but murdered her in cold blood when they realised she would disclose their identity upon being freed.

The main suspect, Salman, and his wife Shabrin, 20, plotted to abduct their niece Rathiba from her school in Domlur, hoping to hold her to ransom as her father, Nisar, had returned from Dubai recently. Salman's sister Shamina is married to Nisar. The suspects are from Thimmaiah Road near Shivajinagar.

Police said Shabrin went to Shree Dhanraj Phoolchand High School in Domlur, where Rathiba was a class 2 student, around 3.30 pm on Wednesday.

Shabrin lied to the teacher that Rathiba's grandmother had suffered a heart attack, and brought her along. Then she telephoned her husband and said she was coming home, along with Rathiba.

As soon as the two reached home, Salman sent a text message from his mobile phone to his sister Shamina that Rathiba had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of Rs 10 lakh for her return. But if she refused to pay up, Rathiba would be killed, Salman is alleged to have said in the message.

A frightened Shamina promptly called her husband Nisar. The couple went to the school looking for their daughter but in vain. They enquired with their relatives but no one had a clue, the police added.

Later, around 5.45 pm, the couple made a missing complaint at the Ashok Nagar police station. Salman was with Nisar at the time. The police formed a special team to trace the girl. The investigators began tracking the mobile number from which the ransom message was sent. They also questioned Nisar's family members and neighbours, a senior officer said.

Meanwhile, the police found Salman's movements suspicious when he told them he would help in tracing the kidnappers. The investigators grilled him, and he confessed to having kidnapped the girl.

But he stunned everyone when he said Rathiba was no more. Salman said that before accompanying Nisar to the police station, he and his wife had strangled Rathiba with a dupatta, because they feared she would recognise them after being freed. But even after killing the girl, Salman kept demanding ransom from Nisar by sending him text messages.

The police later went to Salman's house where they found Rathiba's body and sent it for post-mortem. They examined the mobile phone number from which the text messages were sent and it was confirmed that Salman and his wife were involved. The couple have been arrested.