Nayagarh/Ranpur: Nayagarh police, working in tandem with Commissionerate police- Bhubaneswar, Friday rescued a seven-years-old girl who had been abducted by a man and was forced to beg on the streets. Cops have also arrested the accused man.
According to Nayagarh SP, the child was rescued from Capital Hospital premises in Bhubaneswar- 14 days after she was kidnapped. She has been handed over to her family members.
The accused will be produced in the court Saturday. He has been identified as Shankar Bhoi.
The cops are yet to establish the nativity of Bhoi who is physically challenged to a degree. A habitual offender, he had been previously arrested for the same offence. During his previous arrests, he had told the cops to be a native of Uttar Pradesh, Khurdha and Nayagarh.
Police further informed that Shankar has cases at Gadiasahi police station in Puri district, Khurda Sadar police station, Balugaon police station, Badagarh police station and Tangi police station registered against him for kidnapping children. In each case, he had been arrested and was sent to jail. However, he continues kidnapping children and engage them in begging after getting released on bail each time.
According to reports, the child was abducted July 6 noon while she was playing with her brother near their house in Chandpur area. Shankar and his accomplice reached the spot on a motorcycle. After luring the girl with a chocolate, he made her smell some substance and then took her away with him.
The family of the child started a frantic search for her after learning of the incident from her brother. Her father lodged a complaint with the Chandpur police station alleging that his daughter has been kidnapped.
After registering a case (Case No 69/19), the district police swung into action by forming four teams and conducted raids at various locations. A footage captured by a CCTV installed at a school in Chandpur area helped the police to zero in on Shankar.
On being tipped off, the police also conducted raids at different areas in Puri and Vishakhapatnam however the accused managed to give the cops a slip before being arrested from Bhubaneswar Friday.
Notably, after not getting any information about their daughter even 12 days after the incident, the girl’s family members had staged a silent protest Thursday at the Chandpur police station alleging negligence. They had also been mulling to gherao the police station with the villagers in the coming days as well.
PNN
