Guntur police trace missing four-year-old near Bapatla railway station

Lalapet police have traced a four-year-old girl who was allegedly taken from her grandmother and detained two persons in connection with the case, Guntur East Deputy Superintendent of Police P. Sitharam said on Friday.

The case was registered at the Lalapet police station under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, following a complaint from a 65-year-old woman residing in Saibaba Colony.

The complainant told the police that her granddaughter had been taken away by Pasupuleti Sai Manoj Kumar, her daughter-in-law's brother, on the pretext of buying the child snacks. He did not return with her.

As part of the investigation, officers examined CCTV footage from multiple locations in Guntur and identified Manoj Kumar and his wife, Sheikh Sumaya, accompanied by the child. Surveillance was then extended to camera feeds from the Guntur and Vijayawada bus stands and railway station areas.

Photographs of the girl and the two suspects were uploaded to the RTGS 360° system for tracking. An alert generated by the system indicated that they were near Bapatla railway station.

Lalapet police, assisted by Railway Protection Force personnel, searched the area and located the two suspects with the girl near a tea stall outside the railway station.

According to the police, the suspects said they had intended to raise the child as they had none of their own. The girl was recovered safely, and arrangements were made to hand her over to her family.

Officials appreciated Lalapet Sub-Inspector S.K. Hashim and the personnel who assisted in tracing the child.