Abducted 3-yr-old rescued in 25 mins

Malda: In a remarkable display of prompt police action, a three-year-old girl was rescued within 25 minutes of being abducted from Kotol village under Harishchandrapur Police Station in Malda district on Wednesday afternoon.

According to police sources, around 12:30 pm, the child was playing outside her maternal grandfather’s house when two men wearing helmets on a white motorcycle forcibly picked her up and sped away towards Chandipur.

Immediately after receiving the information, IC Harishchandrapur activated police teams and inter-district nakas. Local residents were alerted with descriptions of the motorcycle and suspects. One person tried to intercept the abductors at Chandipur, but they fled towards Laxmanpur and then Bhaluka Road. Based on coordinated tracking, the motorcycle was intercepted at Islampur by SDPO Chanchal and SI Md Zakir Hussain. During the chase, the bike skid, leading to the arrest of one accused, Choton Nag (39), having a past criminal record while his accomplice, Siten, managed to escape.

The child, who suffered minor injuries, was treated at Harishchandrapur Rural Hospital. Police have recovered the motorcycle and efforts are underway to nab the absconding accused. Authorities praised the swift coordination that ensured the child’s safe recovery near the Bihar border. SP Malda, Pradeep Kumar Yadav, said: “The police have launched a detailed investigation into the matter.”