Boy abducted from Yeshwantpur station; abductor caught in Puttur

Puttur: The police here have successfully traced a woman who had abducted a boy who was aimlessly loitering in Yeshwantpur railway station, Bengaluru. The abductor was caught in the city and the boy was rescued. Meanwhile, the woman and her husband have been booked.

The woman identified as Shilpa, had left the boy under the care of a contractor’s family here after she reportedly concocted story depicting her family woes and convincing the family to take care of the boy for a few days by stating he was her son.

Apparently the contractor, identified as Manjunath Rai from Chanila in Balnad village was a small time contractor undertaking works on contract basis at various spots. The kidnapper Shilpa was earlier working as a labourer for him and currently stays at Banashankari, Bengaluru.

The odd clue

A few days back, Shilpa came to Rai’s residence and told him that she had a fight with her husband and therefore he had deserted her. She requested Rai to take care of the child while she will try to locate her husband. Agreeing upon humanitarian grounds, Mr Rai took in the boy send the boy to nearby Anganwadi. However, the Anganwadi staff grew suspicious after noticing hat the child was conversing in Telugu and Kannada and brought it to the notice of Mr. Rai.

The confrontation

On Sep 8, Shilpa returned back to take the boy when the Anganwadi worker along with local gram panchayat member and staff of child welfare department brought the child to the child care centre and questioned Shipla about the child. However, Shilpa failed to cohorent answers following which the officials filed complaint in Puttur rural station under the guidance of child development project officer. During further interrogation, Shilpa spilled the beans and came clean about the kidnapping.

The confession

The woman revealed that she had fallen in love and married Mahesh from Kabaka, who was presently working at Bengaluru. Apparently, the couple had been driven away from their homes and hence used to rent houses sporadically. Recently, they were also in Puttur where they fought often in drunken stupor.

Shilpa has confessed to have abducted the boy found alone in Yeshwantpur railway station, informed the cops who have registered a case of abduction against the couple, and are now searching for Mahesh.

Meanwhile, the seven-year-old boy has now been handed over to the child care centre at Mangaluru.