Farrukhabad: All Kids Rescued After Hours-Long Hostage Drama, Accused Killed

All 20 children held hostage at a house in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad by a man, have been rescued. These kids and few women were held hostage by Subahsh Batham who was accused in several cases including murder. Battham had invited the children for a birthday party. According to reports, Batham was killed in the police action. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was monitoring the situation in Farrukhabad's Kasaria village, which is nearly 200 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. The children are in the age group of five to seven years and they were in the house for the almost eleven hours.

"Twenty children are being held hostage at Kasaria village," Additional Director General of Police P V Rama Shastri had informed media earlier.

Inspector General of Police, Kanpur Range, Mohit Agarwal, said, "The man called the children for a birthday party and held them hostage in the basement of the house. He fired six shots from inside the building." He said Batham, who appeared to be mentally unstable, fired on those who attempted to speak to him.

Batham wanted to talk to the local MLA, but he refused to speak to the leader when he arrived, Agarwal said. The chief minister was personally monitoring the situation and has directed top officials to ensure the immediate release of the children without any physical harm, officials said.