In a dramatic rescue, Uttar Pradesh police rescued a one-year-old boy abducted from a Bareilly temple, apprehending the kidnappers after a fierce encounter.
Key Points
- A one-year-old boy was abducted from a temple complex in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
- Police rescued the child after an encounter with the abductors, who sustained bullet injuries.
- The accused allegedly planned to sell the child to a childless couple for Rs 60,000.
- The suspects were identified using CCTV footage and electronic evidence.
- The accused confessed to being directed by a gang leader to kidnap a child for sale.
A one-year-old boy abducted from the Manauna Dham temple complex in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district was rescued by police after an encounter in which two accused sustained bullet injuries to their legs, officials said on Wednesday.
Police said the accused had allegedly planned to sell the child to a childless couple for Rs 60,000.
Child Abduction Details And Police Investigation
Superintendent of Police (South) Anshika Verma said the child was kidnapped on Sunday from the temple premises under the Aonla police station area.
The victim's father, Raman, who works as a sanitation employee at the temple, informed police that his three children had gone towards the road while playing around 10.30 am on Sunday. Two of them returned shortly afterwards, but the youngest child went missing, she said.
A case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and five joint teams comprising personnel from the Special Operations Group (SOG), surveillance unit and local police were formed to trace the child, Verma said.
Police analysed CCTV footage, dump data and other electronic evidence, which led to identification of two suspects, she said.
The Police Encounter And Arrest
During a checking drive late Tuesday night, police received information that the accused were travelling on a motorcycle through the Fulasi area with the abducted child and were allegedly planning to take him to Delhi for sale, Verma said.
Police teams began checking vehicles near Fulasi tri-junction, where they spotted two men on a motorcycle carrying a child. When signalled to stop, the accused allegedly tried to flee but their motorcycle skidded, causing them to fall, while the child fell into nearby bushes, police said.
One police officer rescued the child, while another team chased the fleeing accused, officials said.
According to police, the accused opened fire on the police team, injuring head constable Kaumish Kumar. In retaliatory firing carried out in self-defence, both accused sustained bullet injuries to their legs and were arrested.
Accused Identified, Gang Leader Hunt Underway
The accused were identified as Yogesh Kannaujia (28), a resident of Shahjahanpur district, and Pawan Chandel (25), also from Shahjahanpur district, police said.
Two country-made pistols and spent cartridges were recovered from their possession, officials added.
Verma said Yogesh was an MSc Nursing student at a medical college in Shahjahanpur and had allegedly come in contact with a gang leader from Lakhimpur Kheri during the latter's treatment at the institution.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly told police that the gang leader had asked them to kidnap a child aged around six months for sale to a childless couple in exchange for Rs 60,000.
Police said the accused had conducted reconnaissance at fairs and markets in Bareilly and Shahjahanpur over the past month before abducting the child from the temple premises.
However, when the accused informed the alleged gang leader about abducting a one-and-a-half-year-old child, he reportedly refused to accept the child, saying the toddler was old enough to remember his biological parents, police said.
A police team has been sent to Lakhimpur Kheri to trace the alleged gang leader and further investigation is underway.
