Five arrested for abducting 6-month-old boy in Phillaur

THE CHILD WAS SOLD FOR ₹2 LAKH TO A WOMAN WHO HAD ONLY THREE DAUGHTERS

JALANDHAR: The police on Tuesday rescued a six-month-old boy and arrested five people, four of whom they suspected to be childlifters, for abducting him from Phillaur.

The accused have been identified as Nafiz of Pikki village in Uttar Pradesh, Pooran, Sarabjit Kaur, Mahinder Singh, all from Ludhiana, and Beerpal Kaur of Lehra Bet in Bathinda.

Police said son of Sudagar Bai, a migrant living in Ludhiana’s Dana Mandi, was abducted from Dera Maiya Darbar in Phillaur by unidentified persons around two weeks ago. “We had received a tip-off that accused also belonged to Ludhiana. We then circulated pamphlets carrying the picture of the missing child and advertised in media,” said deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Amrik Singh Chahal.

“A local resident informed the Phillaur SHO about spotting the missing child. After verifying the call, we immediately laid a trap and rescued the boy,” he added.

DSP said during interrogation, Nafiz confessed to having abducted the boy along with his accomplice Najim. “They later planned to sell the child in connivance with Pooran and Sarabjit,” he added.

Chahal said Nafiz sold the child to Beerpal through her relative Mahinder Singh for ₹2 lakh. “Beerpal had three daughters and wanted a boy. It was Mahinder who had made the deal. Three more persons were involved in the process,” he added.

“We are conducting raids and the remaining three accused identified as Najim, Harvinder Kaur and Ranjit Kaur will be nabbed soon,” the DSP added.

A case under Section 363-A (kidnapping a minor) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Phillaur police station. The five accused will be produced in a local court on Wednesday.