Lucknow, Sept. 14 -- What began with a bottle of energy drink and a promise of Rs.50 turned into a night-long nightmare for two children, who were kidnapped from Alambagh here on Thursday afternoon.

Police said the kidnapper, Vijay Sharma (19), approached Arjun Singh (12) and Pradyuman Yadav (10) when they were bicycling with another friend of theirs in BG Colony of Alambagh and promised them an energy drink and money. While their friend refused the offer, Arjun and Pradyuman followed Sharma, who was a stranger to them.

Sharma used one of the two boys' bicycles to take them to Charbagh. Once at the bus station, he boarded a bus to Lakhimpur Kheri with the boys, police said.

In Lakhimpur Kheri, he took them to two temples, one of which ...