The Mahbubnagar district police in Telangana on Friday cracked a kidnapping case within one week and managed to trace and hand over an infant back to its parents and book the accused.
Police said that they received a complaint on July 14, when 30-year-old Haddullamma, a resident of Yerragunta, approached the Mahabubnagar 1-Town Police Station. The woman said that she was was sleeping in the premises of a Madrassa School compound with her four young children on July 13, when some unknown people took away her 2-month-old baby.
She told the police that while she tried to chase the masked offenders fleeing in an auto rickshaw, they managed to escape with the baby. The police said that they immediately took up the case and formed a special team.
During the course of investigation, the police said that over 500 auto rickshaws operating in the town were verified along with CCTV footage that was examined.
Teams were deputed to Mahabubnagar Railway Station, Bus Station, Jadcherla, Narayanpet Secunderabad Railway Station, Kachiguda Railway Station and Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) in Hyderabad and even Raichur in Karnataka, besides Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, to search for the baby.
"Entire criminal database was verified to check the current status of previous offenders involved abduction/kidnapping cases. Messages were flashed to neighbouring states to get information of kidnapping gangs," a press release from the police stated.
Based on multiple inputs collected through these efforts, police said that they managed to identify and nab the accused from Veerannapet on July 18 at around 8:30 pm. The baby was also rescued and safely handed over to the parents.
The accused were identified as Mohd Saleem, Tasleem and Sameena.
Kidnapped and sold for Rs.10000.
— Rema Rajeshwari IPS (@rama_rajeswari) July 19, 2019
This lovely 2-months old baby was rescued by @MBNRpolice and safely handed over to her parents.
The smile on her Mother’s face is our biggest reward. pic.twitter.com/xEpKRO9OOs
Police said that a few days prior to the offence, the accused had seen the complainant with her four young daughters and had asked her to give one baby up. However, she had refused.
"When the complainant refused, they took details of her address and left. Mohd. Saleem went in disguise and checked the complainant's home on July 12. On July 13, he took the other two accused to the Madrassa ground and Sameena quietly took the baby and they fled in the auto," the police said.
They had struck a deal to sell the baby for Rs 10,000 to another person, who has also been identified, police added.
All four accused were sent to judicial remand and the auto has been seized. A case has been registered under Section 363 (Kidnapping) of the IPC.