Two bike-borne assailants kidnap child from school bus, shoots at driver in Delhi

Delhi: Two bike-borne assailants opened fire at a school bus driver after intercepting the bus of a leading school in New Delhi on Thursday morning. The assailants kidnapped one of the children — a Class I student — at gun-point. This, on a day when the national capital is on high alert and the entire city has been turned into a fortress ahead of Republic Day celebrations, the ongoing Asean summit and protests by fringe groups over the release of movie Padmaavat.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Eastern Range) Ravindra Singh Yadav confirmed the incident. “An FIR has been registered and several specialised units of the Delhi Police have initiated a probe. No ransom call has been made by kidnappers till 10 am,” a police official said.

“The incident took place at around 8 am. Eyewitnesses informed the police that two men, wearing helmets, came on a black bike and intercepted the bus. When the driver resisted, the pillion rider shot at him and entered the bus. He then kidnapped the boy in front of his sister. There were about 20 students inside the bus,” a senior police officer said, adding that they later fled towards Uttar Pradesh.

Police have said no ransom to the victim’s parents was made till 10 am. “We are probing the role of insiders as the kidnappers were aware about the child’s routine and they also kidnapped the boy, not the girl,” an officer said.

The national capital is currently on high alert ahead of Republic Day celebrations, Asean summit and the controversy over Padmaavat. Several paramilitary and army companies have been deployed to provide security.