Three-year-old Anant Gupta, who was kidnapped from his house in sector 15 A on Monday, has been rescued and kidnappers have been arrested. This was confirmed by SSP of Gautam Budh Nagar in his conversation with the newsmen who had been camping outside the sector 15 A.

Sleuths of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force succeeded in recovering the child from his abductors , who had kept him in a hideout on the Noida-Bulandshahr border.

"The child is absolutely safe and we delivered him to his parents around noon today", a senior STF official told this scribe in New Delhi.

More details of the operation were held back by STF, whose spokesman said, "Since the operation is still on, we would not like to divulge any more details at this juncture."

Naresh Gupta, chief executive of US based multinational Abode India had appealed the kidnappers not to harm his child and take care of him. According to sources, ransom calls were received by the Gupta family.

As the news of his release spread, anxious relatives, neighbours, colleagues and a large number of mediapersons thronged the Gupta residence in posh Sector 15 here and joined the celebrations.

Along with family members, a cheerful looking Anant waved from the terrace of his imposing bungalow to the huge crowd of people gathered outside.

The boy, held by his mother, reached out for sweets that were being distributed to celebrate his home-coming. "Anant is playful, cheerful, active and is his usual self since he returned," a relieved Anant's father Naresh Gupta told reporters outside his residence.

The family also took the boy for a medical checkup. He is "fully healthy", Gupta, his father, said. "I was awake the whole night and when I was about to catch some sleep, I heard shouts from the house that Anant is back. I came down and saw him playing in the house. I have no idea how he was recovered," he said.

The boy was kidnapped by two motorcyclists while he was being escorted to the bus stop by maid servant Seema.

It is not clear whether the boy returned home after ransom was paid, or after police laid a trap and caught the kidnappers.

Police of Noida is holding a press briefing at 3 pm and would give the details then. The case had been handed over to the special task force of the Uttar Pradesh police for investigations.