UK doctors' son is strangled in India: Boy of eight snatched as they launched hospital



Ishan Rawal was kidnapped and found strangled in Indore, India

His doctor parents had moved from East Yorkshire to open up a hospital

Ishan disappeared during the opening ceremony of his parents' clinic

Sanjit Das, 25, a family acquaintance from West Bengal has been arrested



Mr Rawal has said he will not seek a death penalty for his son's murderer



Tragic: Ishan Rawal was kidnapped during the opening ceremony of his parents' new clinic in Indore

It was the day a long cherished dream was to be fulfilled for a doctor and his family.

But it could not have ended more horrifically.

Dr Arvind Rawal and his wife Nikita moved from their home in Britain last year to open their own hospital in India.

But as they celebrated at the inauguration of their new clinic, their eight-year-old British son Ishan vanished from the crowds.

After a frantic search, the little boy’s body was found five miles away in woodland. He had been abducted and strangled.

Speaking of the family’s devastation, Dr Rawal, 43, an orthopaedic surgeon, said: ‘It is our ultimate loss, and the void cannot be filled.

‘We had come to India to start a new life but now our lives are over.’

Mrs Rawal, 42, a gynaecologist, added: ‘How can someone do such a thing? We are missing a very big part of our lives that we will never get back.’



Police arrested a man known to the family who was said to hold a grudge after being refused a job at the hospital.

Suspect Shaan Das has reportedly confessed to kidnapping Ishan and killing him.

However the Rawals, who previously lived in Beverley, East Yorkshire and worked at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, believe there ‘is more to’ Ishan’s death.



They believe it may be the work of more than one killer, orchestrated by their enemies in an attempt to stop their work and force them to move back to Britain.

They are are calling on the British High Commission for help to bring those involved to justice.

Ishan Rawal (second from the right) with his parents Arvind and Nikita Rawal and his brother Rusheek Ishan Rawal (middle right) with his parents and his brother Rusheek who had moved to India to start a new life

Devastating: Ishan, pictured far right with his parents Drs Arvind and Nikita Rawal and brother Rusheek, was found murdered the day his parents opened their hospital in his new home country Dr Rawal said: ‘Ishan was a British national so it’s the British government’s duty to press the Indian authorities to hold a thorough probe into my son’s murder.

Ishan's body was discovered in woodland a few miles away from the hospital 'I will not believe or accept that my son was murdered because a loony didn’t get a job.’ The horror unfolded during the opening ceremony of the new Royal Shanti Hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh state, on June 22. It was attended by a crowd of about 2,000, who were milling around the hospital when the little boy disappeared. Dr Rawal said the family began searching for Ishan when his brother, Rusheek, told him he was missing. He said: ‘There were people everywhere so it was very hectic.

'When we couldn’t find him, we reported it to the police. We had our suspicions that he had been kidnapped.’ Das, who was employed by one of the hospital’s financial backers, was spotted leaving the hospital with the schoolboy. He knew Ishan and his brother well. Mrs Rawal added: ‘He had said he was going to take Ishan for an ice cream on his bike. He had been at the ceremony but then left with Ishan. The police tried calling his phone, but he didn’t answer. ‘When he got back, everyone was asking him where Ishan was. He denied it at first then he said he took him for a bike ride and left him somewhere.’ Mrs Rawal confirmed Das had been rejected for a job at the hospital three months earlier, but added: ‘We’ve requested an inquiry – it was so well planned, we know there is more to it’ Despite the ordeal, Mr Rawal said he will not return to Britain: ‘I am going to stay. Our friends and relatives here have stuck with us throughout this nightmare.’ Ishan Rawal (pictured middle) with his parents Arvind and Nikita Rawal and his brother Rusheek A man has been arrested for murdering Ishan Rawal (right) pictured with his brother Happier times: Dr Arvind Rawal and his wife Dr Nikita Rawal from Beverley, East Yorkshire, who moved to India to set up a hospital According to the Daily Bhaskar Mr Das admitted to killing Ishan 'because he was annoyed with the behaviour by Mr and Mrs Rawa l,'

However, the Rawals refuse to believe their son was murdered over a job dispute and is setting up a campaign to bring the killer to justice. Mrs Rawal said: ‘In March, it was decided he wouldn't work for the hospital.

Tragedy: Brit Ishan Rawal, eight, was kidnapped from the opening ceremony of the hospital in Indore



‘But he already had a job so he wasn't unemployed and it was months ago. We've requested an inquiry into what happened - it was so well planned, we know there is more to it.’ Mr Rawal says the Indian police are satisfied with the arrest of Das as the prime suspect and are not concerned about looking for anyone else in connection with Ishan's murder. The family have now invited the British High Commission to meet authorities in Delhi in an attempt to widen the murder investigation. He said: ‘We'd like our friends in East Yorkshire to help us and campaign for a proper enquiry. ‘We need justice for our son.' On his Facebook page Mr Rawal has written a tribute to his son asking for friends and family to help them in their quest for justice. New project: Royal Shanti hospital's Facebook page where Mr and Mrs Rawal advertised for staff ahead of the opening last month

Broken dreams: Dr Rawal and his wife moved to Indore, pictured, from East Yorkshire with their two sons less than a year ago

'By now you would have heard the tragic news that our son Ishan has been murdered. This happened on the inauguration day of our new hospital Royal Shanti Healthcare.

'We are thankful to you all for the support you have given to us in this difficult time.



'As Ishan was a British Citizen we have requested help from the British government.



'We request you all to help to get justice for our son so that this ghastly act is never repeated.'

