Child abducted from school bus, driver shot at in east Delhi

A child was brazenly abducted this morning from his school bus by unidentified bike-borne persons who also shot at the driver when he tried to stop them, police said. The incident took place at a time when there is an unprecedented security cover in place in the national capital in view of the India-ASEAN commemorative summit and the Republic Day celebrations. The incident took place around 8 am in east Delhi when the boy was in the school bus along with 20 other students, including his elder sibling, officials said.

The bike-borne accused overtook the bus and then barged inside brandishing weapons. When the bus driver protested they fired at him. They then took the child with them and sped off on their motorcycle, they said. The police are searching for the child and have alerted their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

They are probing various angles, including personal enmity, they said, adding that the family has not received any call demanding ransom yet. Th police suspect that it was the handiwork of someone who knew the child's family and was well-aware of his daily routine. They are also probing the reason why the accused only kidnapped one of the siblings. The Crime Branch and the Special Cell are also investigating the matter along with the local police. Police are scanning CCTV footage to ascertain for how long the accused followed the school bus.

The school bus driver is currently undergoing treatment. Earlier, this month, three men were arrested for allegedly kidnapping the 27-year-old son of a south Delhi businessman and demanding a ransom of Rs four crore.

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