Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala police have taken into custody three members of a family in connection with the recent abduction of a six-year-old girl from the Kollam district of Kerala.
The three in custody include a couple and their daughter, hailing from Chathannoor in Kollam. They were reportedly taken into custody from Shenkottai close to Kerala border in Tamil Nadu. They have been brought to Kollam and are being quizzed by a team of senior police officers. Financial disputes between the child's father and the abductors are suspected to be the provocation for kidnapping the child.
Police sources are remaining tight-lipped on the fresh developments.
Abigail Sara Reji, hailing from Oyoor near Pooyappally on the suburbs of Kollam, was abducted by a gang comprising a woman by around 4.30 pm on Monday. The gang demanded a ransom of Rs 10 lakh over the phone. But later the child was found abandoned at Ashramam maidanam (ground) in Kollam.
The delay in nabbing the accused even five days after the incident had evoked criticism against the police. The police suspect that someone having a rivalry with the child's father, who is a leader of nurses' association, could be involved in the abduction.