5-yr-old rescued within 48 hrs of kidnapping

New Delhi: The New Delhi Railway Police have successfully resolved a kidnapping case as they reunited a 5-year-old boy with his family within a 48-hour timeframe, officials said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as Vikas Verma (34), a resident of UP’s Hathras.

Apoorva Gupta, DCP Railways, stated that the heart-stopping incident took place on August 16, when a harrowed mother from Cuttack, Odisha, reported her young son missing at the bustling New Delhi Railway Station. Responding with urgency, the police registered a case under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code, launching a relentless pursuit to locate the child and restore him to safety.

Scrutinising CCTV footage meticulously, the teams, in tandem with the mother’s account, identified a potential suspect—a man estimated to be in his early thirties—carrying the bewildered child.

Leveraging technology, photographs of the alleged kidnapper were disseminated through various media channels, enlisting the collective efforts of newspapers and social media platforms to broadcast the information far and wide.

Simultaneously, law enforcement agencies across the nation were alerted through WT Messages, and comprehensive data about the child and the suspect were promptly uploaded onto the Zipnet database, Gupta said.

“In a gripping turn of events on August 18, a crucial tip-off proved pivotal, culminating in the swift apprehension of the prime suspect Vikas Verma. He was apprehended aboard Shri Shakti Express, and the successful intervention led to the child’s safe return—an astounding resolution to the deeply concerning case, all within an extraordinarily short span of time. Additionally, clothing worn by the accused at the time of the incident was successfully recovered, serving as a crucial piece of evidence as investigations continue”, DCP Gupta said.

Delving into the profile of the accused, Vikas Verma — a goldsmith by trade — faced a series of personal and financial adversities that ultimately led to the closure of his business.

The pursuit of livelihood compelled him to adopt vending on trains, a path that would eventually intersect with the heart-wrenching incident. Seizing an opportunity on August 16 at the New Delhi Railway Station, Verma targeted a mother and her three children. Leveraging the innocence of the youngest child, he extended an offering of food before exploiting the bustling environment to make his escape with the boy, the official added.