Nirakarpur: A four-month-old baby boy was allegedly kidnapped from Nirakarpur railway station premises under Khurda railway division, police said Wednesday.
According to reports, the incident occurred when the infant’s parents were taking a rest on Platform No. 3 of the railway station.
The child was reportedly taken from the mother’s lap when the parents were asleep.
The infant’s father, Prashant Pradhan, a resident of Kalamatia village under Ranpur police limits in Nayagarh district, was travelling with his wife, Chinulata Parida, and their four-month-old son to Tamil Nadu.
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The family first reached Kalupadaghat station and later arrived at Nirakarpur by a DMU train.
They were waiting to board a train to Tamil Nadu in the morning. During the night, while the couple was asleep on the platform, an unidentified miscreant allegedly made away with the child.
After waking up and finding their son missing, the parents searched extensively on the premises before approaching the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel at the station.
However, they alleged that the RPF did not assist them and instead asked them to leave the platform. Later, the couple approached the Nirakarpur police station late at night but were directed to the Government Railway Police (GRP), as the incident occurred under railway jurisdiction.
The parents alleged that their complaint was initially not registered by the GRP either. Following sustained efforts and mounting pressure from local residents, the GRP registered a case (31/26) and launched an investigation.
The incident, reportedly the first-of-its-kind in the Nirakarpur area, has triggered concern among the locals.
Authorities have urged people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity, particularly involving infants.
The distraught parents have appealed to authorities to trace and rescue their child at the earliest.