JEYPORE: An 18-month-old baby girl, kidnapped by a couple eight months back, was rescued by police from the bus stand here on Sunday. Police said, the accused Baduru Naik and his wife Shibani had kidnapped the girl, daughter of Dukhi Malick, a daily labourer from Mahaganda village within Mohana police limits in Gajapati district, from Kalimela on December 26 last year. The couple had forcibly kidnapped the child from the bus stand.
Dukhi could not immediately report the matter to the police as she was taken ill after the incident. She lodged a complaint in this regard with Jeypore police on January 13. Basing on inputs, the police formed a team and started investigating the matter.
Raids were conducted at several places in Malkangiri district to trace the girl but in vain. The girl was traced at MV-113 village in the district and the accused couple arrested. Jeypore IIC Baleswar Gidhi said the couple had kidnapped the girl with the intention of either selling her of engaging her in manual labour.