Heartbroken Ranka family copes with betrayal and loss

S Ahmed Ali | TNN

May 17,2013

    The Rankas had refused to give up hope. From the moment they discovered that 13-yearold Aditya had been abducted until the time the suspects broke down in police custody and confessed, both Jitendra and Chandrika were confident that their son would be rescued alive. “On Tuesday, when my husband Jitendra told me and the police secretly that he has seen Aditya’s sandals in Himanshu’s car, we heaved a sigh of relief. We believed that he was still alive because we thought Himanshu who was our cousin would never harm him,” said Aditya’s grief-stricken mother.
    Vijesh Sanghvi, who had carried out the actual abduction, initially even misled the police into believing that Aditya was alive. He said he had abandoned him in Raigad on learning that the police were hot on the trail of the two kidnappers. But the family’s worst fears came true when Vijesh eventually broke down in custody and told the police that he had dumped Aditya’s body in the jungles after stabbing him and setting him on fire.
    The Ranka family was devastated when they were taken to Panvel by the police to identify their son’s body. “We could not recognize Aditya. I fainted, I cannot tell you what condition the body was in. I recognized him by his favourite wristwatch which he used to wear all the time. Aditya was so possessive about the watch that he wore it even while taking a bath,” said his elder brother Nishit.
    “He was so cheerful, hyper, loving, and caring. The image of his charred face will haunt me all my life,” said Chandrika as she broke down. Nishit and his parents said they would never be able to forgive the killers for what they had done. Himanshu was the adopted son of Jitendra’s elder brother Nemichand Ranka. Himanshu was an MBA and assisted his father in his metal trading business. The co-accused Vijesh was someone he had met in the course of his work.

MEMORIES REMAIN: (Clockwise from top): Aditya’s father Jitendra, mother Chandrika and elder brother Nishit hold up a portrait of the “hero of the family”; Aditya’s foster cousin Himanshu Ranka who planned the abduction; Himanshu’s friend Vijesh Sanghvi (circled) abducted the boy and eventually killed him; Aditya loved football and was also passionate about cricket; Chandrika says she will never forgive the killers for what they did

Aditya Ranka, the 13-year-old who was kidnapped and killed, plays with his cousin Himanshu (in red) and elder brother Nishit in this family photograph. Himanshu, the adopted son of Aditya’s uncle, is accused of hatching the kidnap plot. Aditya’s mother said when they spotted the missing Aditya’s footwear in Himanshu’s car, they had heaved a sigh of relief, but it turned out to be shortlived. P 4