Agra Kidnapping Victim Becomes Lawyer, Secures Life Sentence for Accused After 17 Years

Agra: In an unusual turn of events, a lawyer in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, Harsh Garg, recently presented the closing arguments in a kidnapping case where he was the victim. Harsh, who was kidnapped in 2007, has since grown up, pursued law, and represented the prosecution in the 17-year-old case.

Harsh was kidnapped in February 2007 at the age of 7 while sitting with his father, Ravi Garg, at a local medical store in Kheragarh. The abductors, led by Guddan Kachhi, arrived in a Rajasthan-registered vehicle, held his father at gunpoint, and shot him when he resisted. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of ₹55 lakh for Harsh’s release, but he managed to escape on March 6, 2007, when two of the accused, Bheem Singh and Ram Prakash, were transporting him.

After his escape, police arrested several suspects, including Guddan Kachhi, Rajkumar, Fateh Singh, Amar Singh, Balveer, Rajesh Sharma, Bheem Singh, and Ram Prakash. However, the trial, which began in 2014, was initially fought by Harsh’s father, who is also a lawyer.

Inspired by his experience, Harsh decided to pursue law and completed his LLB from Agra College in 2022. In 2024, he joined the prosecution team and presented the final arguments in June. On September 17, 2024, the Special Judge’s court sentenced eight of the 14 accused, including Guddan Kachhi, to life imprisonment. Four others were acquitted due to lack of evidence, while two accused died during the trial.

Harsh is currently preparing for the UP Provincial Civil Service Judicial Exam (PCS-J), which could see him appointed to the state’s judiciary.