Baripada: Police rescued a four and a half year-old girl who went missing while playing outside her home here in Mayurbhanj district, and detained a suspect from West Bengal following an overnight search aided by CCTV footage, police said Monday.
Baripada Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Prabhat Kumar Mallik disclosed the details at a press conference, saying the girl had been rescued safely and the suspect detained. Police are investigating the motive behind the incident. The girl went missing while playing near her home, prompting her mother to lodge a complaint at Bhanjapur police station.
Investigators examined CCTV footage from the area and found a man taking the child away on a bicycle. Police subsequently examined footage from several locations, including Murgabadi, to trace the suspect’s movements.
After an overnight search, police received information at about 5 am that the suspect was leaving the girl behind and attempting to flee. With the assistance of local residents, officers rescued the child and apprehended the suspect.
The suspect was identified as Krushna alias Harekrushna Ghosh from the Jhatigoda-Gopiballavpur area of West Bengal. He had reportedly been living in the Baripa da Sadar police station area, Mallik said. Police are questioning the suspect to establish the circumstances and motive behind the incident.
His background and mental health are also being examined, and a medical assessment is underway, Mallik added. The girl has been safely reunited with her family.
