UP: Abducted cancer patient remains untraced, one arrested

Agra, Dec 21 (IANS) A 42-year-old cancer patient, who was recently kidnapped, remains untraced though his alleged abductor has been arrested.The kidnapped patient, Virendra Kumar, had visited the S.N. Medical College here for radiotherapy on December 12 and was allegedly abducted from here. He used to stay at a government shelter home near the hospital.Virendra Kumar spoke to his son in the evening of December 12 and after that, his phone was switched off.The next day, his son Anuj received a ransom call for Rs 5 lakh for the release of his father.The police have arrested one Hariom through electronic surveillance and the latter claimed that the 'victim' himself had planned the abduction and asked him to make the ransom call.However, he could not say where the ailing man was.Following a complaint by Anuj, the Agra police on Saturday arrested a man who allegedly made the ransom call.A.K. Awasthi, M.M. gate police station house officer (SHO), said, "A man named Hariom has been arrested. He confessed to making the ransom call, but did not share any information regarding the whereabouts of Virendra."Hariom, a motor operator in the irrigation department, had met Virendra at the SNMC. Both stayed at the shelter home together. During primary interrogation, he claimed that Virendra was involved in the abduction plan and had asked him to make the ransom call.The court, on Saturday, sent Hariom to judicial custody."We will seek police remand and investigate further," said SHO Awasthi.

--IANS amita/dpb

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