HYDERABAD: The 11-year-old son of a scientist, working for the City-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), who was kidnapped three days ago, was found murdered and stuffed in a gunny back in a nala at Gudimalkapur here on Monday.The boy, Chalavadi Pranav, was carrying a pen drive when he went missing giving rise to suspicions that he might have been abducted to steal some vital data of his father. Investigators did not rule out the possibility but said they were also probing if he was kidnapped for ransom or due to some family disputes. Pranav’s father, Ch V Ram Mohan, is a deputy project director in the DRDL, Kanchanbagh and is a resident of Alapati Nagar in Asifnagar. The boy had completed his Class V and was to have gone back to school after the summer vacation.Additional Commissioner of Police (coordination) A R Anuradha said Pranav was kidnapped from near his house between 12.30 p.m and 12.45 p.m on Friday last. “We suspect the kidnappers called on the landline and identifying themselves as his friends, asked Pranav to wait outside, citing their inability to locate the house,” she said. A neighbour, who noticed the boy standing in the hot sun, asked him to go inside but he told him he was waiting for his friends, the officer said. Police suspect the call came from Alapati Nagar and nearby areas. The same evening, around 5 p.m, the kidnappers rang up Ram Mohan. “The conversation was very short. They asked if they were speaking to Pranav’s father. When Ram Mohan said Yes, the abductors told him his son was with them. As Ram Mohan’s mobile phone needed to be charged and the signals weak, the call got disconnected,” she explained.That was the only call the family received from the kidnappers. The call was reportedly traced to a coin box near Esamia Bazar. “The caller had a Marwadi Hindi slang,” the police said. Ram Mohan lodged a complaint with the Asif Nagar police the next day. Anuradha said the boy might have been murdered and his body disposed of the same day. The boy was smothered to death. On the motive for the murder, Anuradha said, “Pranav’s uncle got divorced in April and during that time, the family members of the woman threatened to cause harm to the family.’’ Asked why he was carrying a pen drive, she said Pranav used to play video games. Special teams of the task force and the West Zone police reportedly picked up a few suspects.Information pertaining to the murder can be passed on to West Zone DCP Stephen Ravindra on 9490616552.
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