A Naval sailor, while returning from him hometown in Jharkhand to his base in Coimbatore, died after he was set ablaze by his kidnappers in Palghar, Maharashtra.
The 26-year-old Naval officer, Suraj Kumar Dubey, was found in a jungle in Palghar by locals on Friday morning with 90 per cent burns and died following a failed kidnapping attempt, Times of India reported.
The kidnappers allegedly set Dubey on fire after realising that they would not receive the ransom of Rs 10 lakh they had demanded from his family.
“A Naval sailor, Suraj Kumar Dubey, L/S, age 26 yrs of INS Agrani, on leave from the unit, was found in Palghar, Maharashtra, with 90 percent burns on the morning of February 5. He was brought to INHS Asvini and declared DOA,” a statement from the Navy said.
A case has been filed under IPC sections 302 for murder, 364 for kidnapping and ransom, and 392 for robbery, and under the Arms Act against unknown persons. The police have begun an investigation in the matter, the statement added.
Dubey, who joined the Navy in 2012, was posted to the INS Agrani training institute in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore. He had been kidnapped by three unidentified persons from outside Chennai airport on January 30 when he was returning from visiting his family in Jharkhand, Dubey told the police before his death.
A missing persons complaint was registered when he failed to show up at the base on February 1.
Police also said that Dubey was held in Chennai for three days and then taken to a forest in Palghar’s Gholwad area, about 1,500 km away. He was then set on fire by his kidnappers.
Police are awaiting the autopsy report.
