TIRUPATI: Tirupati police reunited a three-year-old boy with his family three hours after he was kidnapped in Tirumala on Sunday. The child, identified as Abhinay, and his family had come to Tirumala from their native in Telangana Gadwal to offer prayers at the Srivari temple.
According to SP Krishnakanth Patel, the incident occurred when the family of 10 members reached Tirumala around 3 pm. When the men were busy with room registration and the women were taking rest, an unidentified woman approached the boy and lured him with a mobile phone before kidnapping him. Upon noticing the child missing, the family immediately filed a complaint with the Tirumala II-Town police station.
Responding swiftly to the situation, SP Patel formed special teams and utilised CCTV footage and social media platforms to track down the kidnapper. The child was located in a lodge in Tirupati’s Peddakapu Layout. Police rescued Abhinay and handed him over to his parents.
SP Patel commended the efforts of the police personnel, Blue-Colts and Rakshak staff involved in the operation. He also lauded APSRTC employee Avula Prabhakar Yadav for providing crucial information leading to the child’s rescue.