Quick thinking, a 33-second CCTV clip, and hitch-free coordination helped police in two West Bengal districts rescue a kidnapped 7-year-old girl in just four hours. At 11 am on Saturday, two men on a motorcycle without license plates abducted the seven-year-old girl of a local prominent businessman near her house in Harishchandrapur of Malda district. After informing the police, they started a search operation.
The only clues they had were the helmet, the jacket, and the make and color of the motorcycle.
High alert was maintained at every police station in the district and the police of Uttar Dinajpur district as well as the neighboring state of Bihar were informed. The West Bengal-Bihar border at Malda has also been sealed.
Meanwhile, the girl’s father received a “threatening message” on his phone. This helped police zero in on the cellphone tower of the sender’s number. It was the Itahar of North Dinajpur.
Soon, the operation intensified. CCTV footage was collected from various locations between Malda and Itahar. Around 2:30 in the afternoon, the police saw the kidnappers change their route towards Karandighi.
After seeing the police team coming from the front, the abductor threw the child on the national highway and tried to escape in the opposite direction by overturning the motorcycle.
“However, it proved futile,” Superintendent of Police (Malda) Pradeep Yadav said while praising the police team.
“Policemen from different places joined us and helped us trace the kidnappers within four hours,” the SP added.
A weapon was also recovered from the kidnappers, police said, adding that they are investigating possible gang ties. The official said that he will be detained by the court for 15 days for further questioning.
Both the kidnappers identified as Ijaz Ahmed and Raju Mustafa are residents of Harishchandrapur in Malda.
They planned to take the girl and escape to Bihar via Ithar, Karandighi and Dalkhola. They then hatched a plan to extort a huge ransom from the girl’s father,” the police said.
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