After over nine hours of the hostage crisis at a village in Farrukhabad district in Uttar Pradesh, the police here on late Thursday night rescued all the 23 children who had been held captive by a man with a criminal background.
Accused invited over 20 children to fake party
The hostage-taker, identified as Subhash Batham, was shot dead in an encounter with the police, while his wife sustained injuries and has been admitted to a hospital, confirmed ADG UP Ramashastry.
According to the police, the incident took place at Mohamadabad area when Batham had invited about 20 children to his house for a party and then locked them in.
9 hours standoff with UP police
When some local residents tried to get the door opened, he started firing from inside in which one person was injured in the leg. Batham even threw a low-intensity bomb from the window.
Home Secretary Avneesh Awasthi said: "IG, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal, with support from the quick response team, special operation group and Anti-Terrorism Squad of the UP police, spearheaded the operation, finally ending the nine-hours long standoff."
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh added that the police was being cautious to ensure that the hostages are not harmed.
Parents heaved a sigh of relief as all the 23 children were rescued from Batham's custody safely.
Wife lynched by locals, dies
The man's wife died on Thursday night while trying to escape but was thrashed by the locals on the spot, IG Kanpur Mohit Agarwal said. He said she was rushed to a hospital as she was bleeding from a wound on her head but she succumbed to injuries.
Agarwal said the exact cause of her death would be known after post-mortem. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an award of Rs 10 lakh for the UP Police team that successfully carried out the rescue operation.
"All personnel who took part in the operation will be given a certificate of appreciation," said UP Additional Chief Secretary Awanish K Awasthi.
