JAMSHEDPUR: A three-year-old girl who went missing from the crowded Sakchi market while out shopping with her parents was rescued from West Bengal’s Purulia district nearly a fortnight later, police said on Wednesday. A childless couple has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping the child.The accused, identified as Abdul Jaseem alias Lakhan (42) and Afsana Begum (30), residents of Kapali in Seraikela-Kharswan district, were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.The girl, Afreen, disappeared from Sakchi market on May 26, triggering a massive search operation. Her father, Md Imtiyaz, a resident of Hayat Nagar in Dimna Basti, had lodged a complaint with Sakchi police station on the day she went missing.Acting on the directions of SSP Piyush Pandey, police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a DSP to trace the child. Investigators scanned footage from nearly 50 CCTV cameras in and around the market area, besides collecting technical and human intelligence inputs and questioning several suspects.The breakthrough came after police tracked leads to Pusty village under Jhalda police station limits in Purulia district. A raid conducted there on Tuesday led to the rescue of the child and the arrest of the couple, SP (City) Lalit Meena said.During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that they had been childless for the past 10 years and had kidnapped the girl from the crowded market area, taking advantage of the rush.Police have seized two mobile phones from the accused. The girl was later reunited with her parents after completion of the required formalities.(With inputs from PTI)
