Organised gangs behind child-lifting, suspect cops

The Esplanade police has sent a special team to Puducherry to trace the abductors of an eight-month old baby who was abducted from a platform near old Thiruvalluvar Bus Stand near Parry’s Corner on March 20. 

The police team, which is investigating the case following a complaint from the parents of the child, have acquired CCTV footage from a nearby lodge and suspects the involvement of a major child abduction gang behind the incident. Police has sourced a one-hour long CCTV recording from the lodge. It shows three high-end cars parked near the pavement and movements suggesting that the gang could have kidnapped the child. 

Since the CCTV was located far from the crime scene, the number plates of the car are not clear, police said. A police source told DTNext, “The recording showed two vehicles, a white Duster and a black car parked in line near the footpath where the family slept. Another car is seen parked further ahead. 

The gang members spend an hour near the pavement, after which a person is seen getting out of a vehicle and trying to pick up something from the platform. 

However, he once again goes back into the vehicle and come out with something in his hand. He then bends over at the platform and returns to the car holding onto something bigger in his arms. All the three cars then head towards Mint Street. The footage ends there as a traffic camera installed at Elephant Gate traffic junction, was defunct and failed to capture further footage.” 

“We have acquired the CCTV visuals and believe the gang that came in the three cars could be behind this abduction. We suspect that the gang could have taken the child to Puducherry and sold him,” a police official said. 

Police suspect that a well organised gang is behind all the child abduction cases in the city. Another toddler, who was sleeping on the pavement, was picked up from Parry’s corner last year. Police suspect both the abductions could have been carried out by the same gang. 

Actor-director Partheipan, with the support of Latha Rajinikanth and some city NGOs took up DTNext’s report on missing children, and approached the CoP.