BHOPAL: In a tit-for-tat kidnapping, the parents of a youngster being held held to ransom by a dacoit in MP's Satna have allegedly been abducted to ensure the boy is freed.The kidnapped youth's father – Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi leader Santu Singh – denies the abduction charge, so do police, but local papers have reported that dacoit Babli Kol’s parents are being held by Singh, who has given Kol a 24-hour ultimatum.When TOI asked Singh, he denied the kidnap charge but cryptically said: “I have given 24 hours to everyone – the dacoit, administration and police.” Kol has allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh ransom for Singh’s son Vijay.Vijay was kidnapped on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and is said to be held somewhere in Satna. Negotiations are on between the two sides, say sources.The dacoit has been assured that his parents would be released unhurt once Vijay is freed, according to local dailies.According to Singh, he and 12 others were returning to Karwi in Chitrakoot, UP, after attending an event in Satna on July 30 when their SUVs had to stop at the railway crossing C-400 near Tikuaria station at 12.15am. The gate was down for a long time.“Sometimes, at night, the guards fall asleep or forget that the gate is down. So my son Vijay stepped out and went to the guard’s cabin. He was surprised to find that four gunmen had taken the railway guard hostage. I also stepped out and asked Vijay to return to the car. But they pointed guns at us and took Vijay away. They also snatched my phone and called me after some time, demanding Rs 50 lakh as ransom,” Singh told TOI.When asked about news reports that Babli Kol’s parents had been abducted in exchange for his son, Singh denied it at once. “No, it is not true,” he said, adding after a pause: “I have given 24 hours to everyone – be it administration, influential people and the dacoits.”Asked what he would do after 24 hours, Singh said, “I will do what the administration says”. The SP leader said he was at ease after having spoken with his son in the evening and informed that he is in good health.ADG-Allahabad zone Satya Sabat said: “The kidnapping case is our priority and we are trying to get the hostage back safely. We have not been able to verify reports of the abduction the victim’s family supposedly did. No direct kin of the bandit lives in UP. I visited Chitrakoot and the railway crossing today.”Karvi SP P G Yadav said: “It (abduction of dacoit’s parents) is a rumour. We are handling the youth’s abduction tactfully and are hopeful that he will be freed by Monday morning.”