M A I N   N E W S

Father, son murdered for Rs 50 lakh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Dec 24 —The police has arrested four persons in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Devender Chopra and his son, Abhishek, both industrialists, for a ransom money of Rs 50 lakh.

The incident has sent shock waves in various parts of the district, especially in the trade and industry circles.

After murdering the two their dead bodies were hacked and hidden in different sewer drains in the areas of Jharsa village in the district.

According to the district police chief, Mr Shatrujit Kapur, the killing of the father-son duo came to light only after the arrest of the four persons today.

Mr Chopra and his son were partners in a local firm, which is in the business of building bodies for trucks. They were kidnapped on December 18 while they were returning from their factory in the morning. The incident took place between Damdama and Bhondsi. Immediately after the kidnapping incident, Mr Chopra’s daughter, Pooja, gave a call on his mobile phone. Mr Chopra allegedly revealed to her that he and Abhishek had been kidnapped and the kidnappers were demanding Rs 50 lakh as ransom. The kidnappers had warned them against informing the police.

The police, according to sources, registered a case today. The case was first registered under Section 364 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), but latter amended to incorporate Sections 302, 201, 394, 34 and 120B of the IPC along with the Arms Act.

Those arrested include Suresh and Mahesh (both brothers and residents of Jharsa village), Manmohan, alias Kalu (he also had other aliases namely, Kullu and Painter) of Palwal in Faridabad district and Ashok of Alwar district in Rajasthan. Incidentally, Ashok ran a painting shop in Sohna.

The FIR was registered on a complaint of Mr Chopra’s partner, Mr Ramanand. He complained that after he got in touch with the family members of the deceased, he learnt of the kidnapping incident. He further pointed out to the police that he had been negotiating with the kidnappers for the release of Mr Chopra and his son. They were adamant on the payment of Rs 50 lakh. They did not relent even though a sum of Rs 10 lakh was offered to them. It was only when all talks had failed that he reported the matter to the police.

The district police chief said after the arrest the criminals said that they had kept the father and son at a certain place.When the police did not find them at the said spot, they gave in. After preliminary investigations, it was revealed that Mr Abhishek was murdered first. The miscreants were negotiating for ransom money even after murdering the two.

Alarm bells ring as girl dies of polio
From Sushil Manav

FATEHABAD, Dec 24 — The death of a two-year-old girl due to suspected polio here last evening has set the alarm bells ringing for the health authorities in this district. Though the authorities have yet not confirmed the death, the sources reveal that the poor girl died last evening when her respiratory muscles were also paralysed by the impact of the disease. What is worse that the health authorities here failed to take proper samples of the stool and do some other important physical examinations which could have proved vital for the diagnosis.

Reeta of the nearby Kalotha village was brought to the local General Hospital two days ago with paralysis of all limbs. The doctors at the hospital referred her to a paediatrician. She was then shifted to a local hospital for children. But her condition deteriorated and she reportedly died last evening. The doctor attending on her, however, said he had referred the child to Delhi when her respiratory muscles paralysed. The parents of the child preferred to take her home. But a source confirmed that the child had died before she was taken away by her kin.

The Case Investigation Form prepared by the Health Department confirms the death. The source said even otherwise in such a case the child could not have survived for more than 10 minutes after the ventilators were removed.

The worst aspect of the case is that the health authorities here failed to take proper samples of the girl’s stool and also failed to carry out some important physical examinations. Though the stool sample was taken on the first day, it was stored in a preservative medium. The prescribed procedure is to store it without any medium and in a cool condition. The authorities, however, claim that they could take a second sample the next day. Further the “Case Investigation Form” faxed by the health authorities to their superiors in Chandigarh does not mention whether there was any sensory loss in the child.

Insiders say that it is a very vital examination which could have distinguished a polio case from a simple case of acute flaccid paralysis due to some other reason. They say that it is important to properly diagnose these cases as polio is a notified disease and the very success of the pulse polio campaign depends on it. But the way tests were carried on the child, the world may never come to know the exact cause of her death.

The sources say that if it was confirmed that the child died of polio, it implied that there must be several other cases of children in and around her residence who may be infected with the “wild polio virus”. In that case not only that a further dose of polio vaccine as a security ring is to be given in that area, it also merits complete virological studies by experts, including the possibility of break in the cold chain in the carrying of the vaccine.

One more intriguing fact is that the parents claim the girl was given the polio doses required by the child, including the doses given during the recent pulse polio campaign. Knowledgeable sources do not rule out the case of polio from the active viruses from the vaccine itself.

The District Training Officer, Dr Seema Garg, when contacted said though on the first day the case prima facie appeared to be of polio, later the symptoms indicated other wise. She said the facts that the paralysis was of quadruple nature i.e. all the four limbs were affected it was of a symmehical nature and it was an ascending paralysis indicated that it may not be a case of polio.

The Civil Surgeon, Dr D.R. Makkar, said he has informed his superior about the incident and the department was planning to administer another dose of polio vaccine in and around the area where the girl lived.