Mohali: On Tuesday,  Police in Punjab apprehended a 25-year-old boy, an aspiring singer for allegedly kidnapping a minor boy from Kurali in Greater Mohali earlier this month. Identified as Sahil Verma, the accused hails from Sonipat in Haryana and lives in a rented accommodation in Paprali village of Punjab. Verma told investigators that he abducted the child in order to extort enough money to release a 'Punjabi music album'.

Here it is to be noted that the accused enrolled himself in music classes and wanted to make it big in the music industry which is why he even made a music video in 2016, a police official told Times of India. Verma told investigators that he wanted to move to Mumbai and make a music album, however, he was running out of money which is why he retorted to committing the crime. Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harcharan Singh Bhullar said that Verma bought a Maruti 800 car about 15 days before committing the crime. He then visited a stadium near Kurali where the boy used to spend time with his friends in order to befriend him. It was on April 6 that the accused offered the boy an ice-cream and asked him to get into his car in return.

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However, to be noted that Verma took the boy, Ashish Jot Singh to a hotel in Ludhiana where the two spent a night. During this time, the accused called the victim's mother and demanded Rs 2 lakh as ransom in exchange for the boy's safe return. Realising that his call would allow the boy's parents to trace him to Ambala, Verma abandoned the Maruti 800 car and fled the spot. Punjab police rescued the minor boy from Ambala railway station on April 7 morning. The boy led them to Verma who was arrested in less than two days of the child's rescue. A much similar incident was reported from Noida in Uttar Pradesh in October of last year when police had discovered the skull of an eight-year-old boy from a drain in Sector 94. An investigation revealed that the boy was kidnapped and murdered by two juveniles, one of whom was an aspiring singer looking to release his own music album for which he needed funds. The boys had told police officials at the time that they got the idea from a television serial.

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