This was the second incident of kidnapping and killing in Uttar Pradesh over the past 10 days. A young boy kidnapped from Meerut was found murdered in Ghaziabad earlier this month.

The state's Additional Director General of Police Brij Lal said: 'My experience tells me that kidnappers take to killing only when they know the victim has recognised them. I do not rule out the possibility that Karan Maheshwari had recognised one of them.'

He was confident of solving the case soon. 'We have managed to arrest the Meerut kidnappers and I am sure we will get those involved in the Kanpur kidnapping too,' Lal asserted.