Farrukhabad Hostage: Police officer to help bring up hostage-taker’s orphaned child

PTI, Feb 3, 2020, 5:07 PM IST

Lucknow: A police officer said he will take care of the one-year-old girl whose parents died during the rescue of 23 children taken hostage by her father and hoped she becomes an IPS officer like him.

The girl’s father Subhash Batham was shot dead early Friday as police rescued 23 children he had taken hostage at his home in Farrukhabad’s Kasaria village.

Her mother Ruby Katheriya was lynched by angry parents as she tried to escape from the house, police said.

Kanpur Range Inspector General Mohit Agarwal, who was involved in the rescue operation, on Monday said he will take on all responsibilities for the child.

“I want her to become an IPS officer like me. I am opening an account for her and will deposit money in it so that she does not have any problems with her studies,” he told PTI over the phone from Kanpur.

“A present, the child is in Farrukhabad with a woman employee in the police department and she is taking great care of her,” the Indian Police Service officer said.

“After the news of her parents’ death a number of people from India and abroad are contacting us for adopting the girl,” he said.

“However, without verification and the completion of legal formalities we will not hand her over to anyone,” he added.

Even if someone adopts her, I will personally monitor the upbringing of the girl and ensure that she does not have any problems in the future,” the senior officer said.

“I want a couple from the police department to adopt her so that I can easily remain in touch with her,” he said.

No relative has so far come forward to claim custody of the child, apparently because the couple married against the wishes of their families.

Subhash Batham had invited the children to his home on the pretext of celebrating his daughter’s birthday.

He then held them hostage in the basement for about eight hours before a police team barged in.

He fired at policemen during the siege of the house, injuring eight of them and a local resident.

Police found the girl in the house after gunning down her father. Batham, a murder accused, allegedly wanted police to withdraw cases against him.

Police found two guns, ammunition and explosives stocked at the house.