Sending out a stern message to anti-social elements, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced in the State Assembly that the Goondas Act, 1982, would be invoked against those involved in abducting children.
Detenus under the Goondas Act can be kept in preventive detention up to oneyear without bail. An Advisory Board would review the validity of such detentions.
Making a slew of new announcements related to the Home, Prohibition and Excise Departments held by her, Jayalalithaa said her government will bring in amendments to the preventive detention law to facilitate the imprisonment of those involved in abducting children. “Children are the wealth of our country. Prompt action is taken in all cases of child missing and theft,” she said.
According to sources, the government decided to bring child kidnappers under the ambit of the Goondas Act following several incidents of such cases.
On February 3, a two-month-old girl belonging to a Narikuravar family was stolen from Melmaruvathur, about 90 km from here. On December 17, 2012, the CMBT police arrested a 26-year-old man, who allegedly attempted to kidnap a seven-year-old girl from Koyambedu.
On October 25, 2012, an infant was stolen from the RSRM Hospital in Royapuram. On the same day, the police rescued a 4-year-old boy seven hours after he was kidnapped from a creche at KK Nagar. On 12 December, 2012, a woman stole a baby at the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital here. An alert autorickshaw driver helped the police nab the offender who turned out to be a woman.
On June 19, 2012, a three- month-old baby belonging to a family living on a pavement in Kilpauk went missing.