BHUBANESWAR: Acting swiftly, Bhubaneswar police on Tuesday rescued the two-year-old child from Balasore 48 hours after he was snatched from his blind mother near Ram Mandir in the capital.
Key accused Kedarsan Panda was arrested from Puri while Jhelam Rani Panda, a woman belonging to Balasore, is detained and under investigation for her role in the abduction.
Police said, Jhelam had received Kedarsan and the abducted child at Balasore railway station. A mother of three, she apparently wanted to adopt a child hoping it would bring divine blessings for her nine-year-old son who was suffering from chronic kidney ailments. Kedarsan allegedly gave shape to her wish. Her claims are being verified.
On Sunday, Jayanti Mallick had lodged an FIR over theft of her minor son with Kharavel Nagar police. The 25-year-old who lives in a kanyashram sustained her livelihood through begging and visited Ram Mandir regularly with her children for the purpose.
Acting on her complaint, a rescue operation was carried out by four police teams in and outside the state. Basing on CCTV surveillance and mobile forensics, police carried out raids at multiple places and the child was rescued from Khantapada police limits in Balasore, while the accused was apprehended in Puri.
On Saturday evening, when Ram Mandir witnessed a heavy crowd for Hanuman Jayanti celebration, Jayanti was unable to return to kanyashram due to an unexpected downpour and spent the night in front of the temple with her children. During the night, accused Kedarsan approached the family and engaged with the children to win their trust. Taking advantage of the situation, he abducted the male child and proceeded to Bhubaneswar Railway Station and boarded a train for Balasore. At Balasore, as part of the plan, Jhelam received the accused and the stolen child, police said.
Kedarsan had become acquainted with Jhelam while working as a delivery agent for food aggregators in Bengaluru, where the woman’s husband was also employed as a security guard. About a month ago, Kedarsan and Jhelam Rani re-established contact, eventually meeting in Odisha after the former return from Bengaluru.
Police said Kedarsan and Jhelam had developed a close relationship. Jhelam, who has two daughters and a nine-year-old son, had expressed her desire to adopt a male child with a belief that such an act would bring divine blessings and help her son recover.
“Her statement is currently under verification, and her exact role in the toddler’s theft is under thorough investigation,” police said. Kedarsan has three two-wheeler theft cases in his name in Pahala and Jajpur since 2023.