Barnala child abduction case has major Ludhiana connection

As the Barnala police busted a gang involved in kidnapping of a two-year-old child and arrested nine suspects on Monday, the sensational case has a major Ludhiana connection. Among the nine arrested, seven are connected to the city.

Five city-based persons, including an Asha worker, her son and a doctor, were also arrested. Besides, two other key suspects were arrested by the Barnala police had Ludhiana connection as they were part of the biggest heist occurred at the office of the CMS Info System, Ludhiana, in 2023.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Patiala Range, Mandeep Singh Sidhu, who addressed a press conference at Barnala on Monday and later while talking to The Tribune over phone confirmed the major connection of the case with Ludhiana district.

Notably, the biggest heist of Rs 8.49 crore from a cash management firm reported on June 10, 2023, which was cracked in a record time of 60 hours with the arrest of all 18 suspects and recovery of 7.14 crore cash, two vehicles, three .12-bore rifles and other firearms used in the crime. Then Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu, who is now the DIG, Patiala Range, had cracked the case and recovered the maximum looted amount.

The two miscreants who were then among the 18 arrested persons in the case of Rs 8.49 crore robbery, namely Damanpreet Singh, alias Aman, alias Phulli, of Barnala and Aditya, alias Nanni, had also turned out to be the key suspects in the child kidnapping case. Both of them had come out on bail last year in the robbery case, Sidhu said, adding: “Among the nine arrested suspects, five are residents of Ludhiana and Khanna, including a mother-son duo and a doctor. The Ludhiana-based suspects were identified as Asha worker Ravinder Kaur, her son Kohinoor, a resident of Dhandari Kalan, Davinder Singh of Model Town, Khanna, Rohit of Khanna and a doctor, Vikas Tiwari, who owns Sarthak Health Care at Mundian Khurd, Ludhiana”.

“After Manav and Damanpreet kidnapped the child from Barnala on April 4, the child was even taken to Ludhiana at the Sarthik Health Care, Mundian Khurd, owned by doctor Vikas Tiwari, where Asha worker Ravinder Kaur shaved the head of the child, may be to perform some occult act but the exact purpose is yet to be verified. Vikas had to sell the child but he could not find buyers. The Barnala police conducted a raid in MP from where three suspects were held and five were held from Ludhiana,” the DIG said.

Ludhiana