New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) A 6-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped by five people, including her kin, was rescued from the Indo-Nepal border, police said on Friday.
According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harsha Vardhan, the girl went missing on August 27 when she had gone out of her home to a general store at around 8.30 pm.
The girl's father told the police that neither his daughter reached the store nor did she return home, Vardhan said. The family later received voice messages on WhatsApp from a Malaysian number demanding ransom.
Based on the father's complaint, an FIR was lodged at the IP Estate Police Station in Delhi and investigation was initiated.
The police arrested five people in the case, including her maternal uncle, Krishnan (39) and aunt Shahida (25) who along with their associates Pintu, Sushil and Sunita, planned to kidnap the girl for ransom.
During the investigation, police analysed over 300 CCTV footage and the phone number which led them to Sitamarhi in Bihar, police said.
Local intelligence and detailed interviews of family members also revealed monetary issues. It was found that one of the relatives of the girl was also from Sitamarhi, police said.
Krishnan was interrogated where he disclosed that he, his wife Shahida and three other associates planned to kidnap the girl, police said.
The accused further disclosed that Shahida lured the girl with chocolates and took her to a nearby shop. She handed over the girl to her associates -- Pintu, Sushil, and Sunita -- who were waiting in a car at some distance, Vardhan said.
They then took the girl to Bihar. Upon analysing the call details of the accused, the police found that the girl was being transported to Nepal through Sitamarhi, he said.
The police reached Sitamarhi and rescued the girl. They arrested Pintu, Sushil and Sunita at the Indo-Nepal border, Vardhan added. They were taking the girl to the residence of Pintu's kin in Nepal.
The accused informed the police that the girl's uncle Shakil Ansari, who lives in Nepal, owed money to Krishnan. In a bid to extort money, Krishnan kidnapped the girl for ransom, police said.