Girl, 9, Abducted by Relatives in Assam, Rescued After Ransom Demand

A nine-year-old girl was rescued in the early hours of Wednesday after being abducted from Mariani in Assam's Jorhat district by her maternal uncle and aunt, who had demanded a ransom of Rs 60 lakh, police said.

The child was traced to Islamnagar in Dergaon around 2 am following a coordinated police operation. Two suspects — the girl's maternal uncle, Sagar Ghosh alias Tarzen, and Wasim Rahman alias Kanakai — have been arrested. Ghosh was picked up from Koilakhata in Dergaon, while Rahman was apprehended in Islamnagar.

According to police sources, the uncle and aunt had been staying at Room No. 109 of Loknath Bhawan in Mariani for three days before the incident. On Tuesday afternoon, the couple allegedly lured the girl from a relative's house under a pretext. When she did not return for hours, the family grew anxious.

Around 5 pm, the abductors contacted the family, demanding Rs 60 lakh and warning them not to approach the police. They threatened to kill the child if the money was not paid by 8 pm. The girl's father then alerted local journalists, prompting the Mariani police to launch an immediate search.

A Baleno car and a red scooter allegedly used in the abduction have been seized. Ghosh's wife, Manisha Ghosh, along with Rahul Ali and another person identified as Mon, remain at large. Ali is a resident of Islamnagar, while Mon hails from Phukan Nagar in Dergaon.