Missing baby Harini traced after 4 months, was kidnapped, sold to childless woman

Toddlers from the poorer strata of society were vulnerable to being kidnapped and when 2-year-old Harini was reported missing on September 15, 2018, there was little hope for her safe return. But with the tireless efforts of the Kancheepuram police team, her parents’ prayers were answered on Tuesday and the baby was traced. The kidnapper, Prakash, was arrested.

Kancheepuram police found Harini in a house in Thiruporur where she had been sold to a childless woman, and a 30-year-old man who kidnapped her was arrested from ECR and remanded in judicial custody. A search is on to nab his associates.  In September, news of the missing child made headlines and several NGOs and public interest groups pitched in the search.

The Kancheepuram Superintendent of Police Santosh Hadimani formed two special teams to nab the kidnappers. While one team was looking through CCTV footage, the other was trying to garner information off local rowdies. The team even went to Kolkata after receiving information of a girl resembling Harini being abandoned there, but it turned out to be a false trail.

On September 24, police got hold of a CCTV grab of a man with a baby on his shoulders in a bunk on Pavunchur-Anaicut road. It was the first concrete clue in the case.  When the petrol bunk staff were questioned, the man was identified as Prakash of Cheyyur. He was taken to Kancheepuram SP office for inquiry, where he confessed to the crime, adding, that he had sold the girl to his sister’s childless friend Sangeetha in Thiruporur. Following this, police found Harini. The parents were informed and they lost no time in rushing to the house and confirming that it was her.

After being reunited with their two-year-old daughter on Tuesday, Venkadesan (30) and Kaliammal (25) could not be more thankful to the city police. “We thank the police for tracing our daughter Harini. They should trace all missing children like the way they traced her,” said a beaming Venkadesan who also thanked newspapers and TV channels for their support.

The couple used to sell beads and other handmade products on their load auto. Around 2 am on September 15, Venkadesan vehicle’s developed a snag. While he was fixing the problem, he noticed that Harini — who was sleeping inside a mosquito net by the road — was missing.

The couple began to shout for help and later with the help of locals, filed a complaint at the Anaicat police station.

The police initially suspected that someone from within their community might have kidnapped the child, but both Kaliammal and Venkadesan refused to believe it. They even threatened to stay near the Anaicat police station till Harini was found.

When contacted the SP Santosh Hadimani said, “Prakash’s friends who helped in kidnapping the child are missing. We have been tracing them and they will soon be arrested. Prakash said that there is a lot of money involved in this case and we are looking into it.”