‘But, where is my son?’ asks father of boy missing since two months

Yogesh Jadhav has been missing for almost two months

Even two months after 23-year-old Yogesh Jadhav went missing after he left his parents' home in Titwala to go to Mulund for some work, the Kalyan taluka cops are yet to trace him. While Yogesh didn't return home that day, someone called up his father from his mobile phone and demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh. Till now, the police have arrested one person, who claims to be Yogesh's friend but he claims he has no clue about his whereabouts.

Yogesh's father Vitthal Jadhav, a controller in the BEST and attached to the Kurla bus depot, lives with his family in Titwala. Yogesh, who works in Pune as a hotel manager, visits his home during festivals. On November 3, he came home to celebrate Diwali. Around noon on November 6 he left home to go to Mulund for some work and didn't return till late. His father tried calling him but his phone was switched off.

"The following day I received a call from his number. The person on the other side started speaking in Hindi and asked me whether I was Yogesh's father. Thereafter, he said that my son was in his custody and if I wanted to see him alive, I should pay him Rs 35 lakh and not inform the police. I immediately informed a relative of mine, who advised me to register a police complaint," said Vitthal.

Following this, an offence was registered against an unknown person under section 364-A (kidnapping for ransom) of the IPC on November 7 at the Kalyan taluka police station.

During investigation, cops found out that Yogesh's friends were involved in making the ransom call to his father. But the police have not been able to establish whether he has been kidnapped. Tracking of his cell phone has revealed just one location - Osmanabad - but there is no sign of him.

"It's been almost two months since the day he went missing. We are worried about his well-being. We don't know what has happened to him. The police are our only hope," said Kavita Jadhav, Yogesh's mother.

Speaking to mid-day, Raju Vanjari, senior inspector of Kalyan taluka police station, said, "We have arrested one person from Bhandup. He claims to be Yogesh's friend and was involved in making the ransom call but he doesn't know about his whereabouts. The investigation is on and soon we will be able to solve the mystery."

Rs 35 lakh
Ransom amount demanded by the caller