A six-year-old girl who was kidnapped on Monday night from Pooyappally in rural Kollam district of Kerala was found in Ashramam Ground in Kollam city on Tuesday and is been taken to a nearby hospital by the police, reported ANI. The girl was kidnapped when she was going for tuition with her brother after which the police launched a state-wide search.
A sketch of the suspected kidnapper was also released by the police.
According to a statement given to the police by the victim's eight-year-old brother, the kidnappers — suspected to be four in number including a woman — came in a white car and had abducted the girl, reported PTI. When the boy tried to stop the kidanppers, they pushed him aside and fled away with th girl in the car, an officer from the Pooyappally police station had said on Monday.
The boy suffered injuries to his knees, the police added, who said that the incident took place between 4 pm and 4:30 pm.
While the concerns grew about the incident, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday directed the state police to intensify its probe. He directed the police to ensure a flawless and speedy investigation into the incident, his office had said in a statement.
As per the visuals run by television news channels, the alleged kidnappers made two phone calls demanding ransom. First they demanded Rs 5 lakh and then later doubled the figure.
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In the audio recording of the purported second ransom call, shown on TV channels, the kidnappers could be heard saying that the girl is safe and unharmed and will be returned on Tuesday morning on a payment of Rs 10 lakh.
The kidanppers also warned the girl's parents to not inform the incident to the police.