34th kidnapping for year

Two gunmen stormed into Aranjuez Supermarket on Thursday afternoon and snatched the 20-year-old proprietor Preetam Singh, shortly after relieving the cash register of an unspecified amount of money. Singh was bundled into a waiting car, and has not been seen since. Yesterday, his father, businessman Suresh Singh, pleaded with kidnappers to release his son unhurt. Singh, the owner of Liquor Palace at Aranjuez, said that he is not in a position to pay a hefty ransom because he is now trying to put his life back together having recently divorced his wife. Singh said that his son was assisting him in the running of the supermarket in an attempt to restore some financial stability.

The drama started around 6 pm, when the victim was about to close the grocery. Two men entered the grocery and walked up to the cashier. One man robbed the register of cash while the other gunman snatched Singh who was standing nearby. They then ordered him into a waiting Sentra car. Officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad were contacted and an All Points Bulletin sent out to all police stations to be on the lookout for the getaway car. Yesterday, a distraught Suresh told Newsday that his only concern is getting his son back. He reiterated that while he is willing to negotiate with the kidnappers, he is not a wealthy man. Singh told Newsday that he was at home when he received a call informing him that his son had been kidnapped.

By the time he rushed to the scene, the kidnappers had already fled. Singh made it clear yesterday that his business is not doing well and he is trying to make ends meet. “I am pleading with the kidnappers to treat my son good and think about their own families and put themselves in my position,” said a worried Singh. Up until late yesterday, no ransom was demanded for the kidnapped man. There have been 94 reported kidnappings for the year so far with 31 of them for ransom. Last year there were 164 kidnappings with 28 of them for ransom.