3-yr-old boy from Odisha abducted from Central rly station, hunt on for suspect

Police have formed special teams to nab the middle-aged kidnapper who was caught on CCTV while leaving the station premises holding the child.

The missing child, Somnath (3) is the son of Ram Singh and Neelavathi Celliwada of Nabarangpur district in Odisha, who are construction labourers working at the upcoming police quarters in Purasaiwalkam, said Railway Police. The couple decided to look for work at some other construction sites

The family reached Central station around 11 pm to take rest for the night before meeting the contractors on Monday, and slept in the waiting hall. It was around 2 am that Neelavathi realised that her three-year-old son was missing. The couple raised an alarm and on information railway police conducted inquiries with them.

Later, when the CCTV footage at the station premises were combed, police found out that a man picked up the child. He then went out and crossed the Poonamallee High Road using the subway to reach the Park suburban railway station from where he boarded the last train to Tambaram.

Of the two videos shared by railway police, one shows the child in red dress walking on his own at the station premises while the alleged kidnapper, wearing a light blue shirt and sporting a cap, following him. He was seen checking if somebody came looking for the boy. In another video, the same man is seen going to the Park railway station using the Metro rail subway, holding the child on his shoulder and without the cap.

When contacted, Railway police said that they have gathered CCTV footage of the same man with the child in Tambaram railway station. A special team has been formed to nab the kidnapper and rescue the child from him. “It is not clear which exit of Tambaram station the man used. We are inquiring the auto drivers for possible clues,” said an officer.