AFTER four-year-old Swarnav, who was kidnapped on January 11, was released on Wednesday and reunited with his family, Pune Police have expanded the scope of their probe with the help of a new set of leads, bases on the man who dropped the boy off at a building in Punawale, senior officials told The Indian Express.
Following Swarnav’s abduction by a bike-borne suspect from Balewadi area, an extensive investigation had been launched by the police, but without any concrete breakthrough. The probe by Pune police before Swarnav was found involved teams from 20 police stations in Pune, along with squads from the Crime Branch, with a total strength of close to 350 police personnel and officers.
Police had scrutinised footage from hundreds of CCTV cameras installed in a radius of 30 to 35 km around the kidnapping site. Because police had obtained the partial registration plate number of the bike, they looked into 72 bikes and their owners. Police had also checked all the people connected to the family and their daily routines. They had also checked several history-sheeters with possible links to the such abductions.
Joint Commissioner of Police, Ravindra Shisve, said, “I am personally monitoring the probe closely. I can assure that the probe is on the right track. Every available thread of information is being closely examined.” Police are also saying that they have reasons to believe that the suspect was aware of a lot of details about the routines of family members.
A senior officer, who is part of the probe, said on the condition of anonymity, “With this new development in the case, we have a fresh set of leads available with us to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the crime. We have thus expanded the scope of our probe with the help of new information. We are looking into every possible aspect, including personal, professional and financial, among others. The tasks have been meticulously divided among teams. We have reasons to believe that the person who dropped the boy off is the kidnapper or one of the suspects, as the case may be.”
Officials said that a thorough medical examination of the boy was done on Wednesday.
When asked whether police teams have got some leads after speaking to Swarnav, the official said, “I will choose not to disclose that at this juncture. But needless to say, the leads given by him will be crucial for the probe. We are dealing with this aspect with the utmost caution and care. The boy is in good health. We are choosing not to divulge any more details of what we have learnt till now about his situation during the past few days.”
When contacted, Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta said, “We are confident of taking the investigation to a logical end. Our teams are probing all the leads round the clock.”