Friday, January 13 2006 12:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Notwithstanding the police claim of a breakthrough in his kidnapping case, garment shop owner Prashant Jain remained traceless for the ninth day today (Jan 13, 2006) even as intensive search operations continued for his rescue.

Police had obtained vital clues about the kidnapping "but all these clues will be meaningless unless the trader is rescued," Senior Superintendent of Police Kundan Krishnan told sources.

Denying reports that Prashant's abductors made a ransom call to a distant relative yesterday for his safe release, he said, "Prashant's family members have also denied it".

"We have achieved a breakthrough in the abduction case with identification of the youths who hired the vehicle used for taking away Prashant," Krishnan said.

The owner of the car was also traced, while the report of the forensic examination of the vehicle, recovered from near Bakhtiarpur a day after his kidnapping, was yet to be received, he said.

Meanwhile, Special Task Force personnel assisted by the district armed policemen continued search operations for Jain at different places in Patna and adjoining districts of Bhojpur, Nalanda, Nawada and Sheikhpura.

Prashant was abducted on January 5 while returning to his flat on Buddha Marg in Patna.