Bhubaneswar: A seven-year-old girl, who was allegedly kidnapped from Kataka, has been rescued by the police after a 36-hour operation, a senior officer said Monday.
The accused has been arrested from Balikuda railway station, Kataka-Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh told reporters.
He said the girl had arrived at Kataka railway station from Anugola with her grandparents Saturday.
After alighting from a train, they left the child at a spot near the railway station to fetch food, and on returning, found her missing.
Based on a report lodged by the girl’s grandmother, a case was registered at Chauliaganj police station in Kataka and 10 dedicated teams were formed to trace the minor, Singh said.
“The teams undertook extensive scanning of Kataka, Kathajodi, Balikuda, Barang and Bhubaneswar railway stations,” he said.
During CCTV footage examination, the police found that the girl was moving with an old man. Later, the accused was nabbed at Balikuda railway station by a police team stationed there, the officer said.
“During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he had taken her to Kaipadar in Khurda district, where he handed over the girl to RPF personnel Sunday after they started questioning him about the child,” Singh said.
Subsequently, the RPF personnel handed over the girl to a local Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Sunday.