A special police team arrested a 26-year-old man in Mangalore for abducting a two-year-old boy from Erwadi, near here.
Police sources said Sajina, wife of Ibrahim of Pallapatti near Dindigul, had been to the Erwadi dargah along with her son Mohamed Yasin two weeks ago. There, she met Nazar of Hassan district in Karnataka, who had come to the dargah a week before.
On April 19, Sajina left her son with Nazar and stepped out for some purchases. On returning, she found both Nazar and her child missing and subsequently lodged a complaint with the Erwadi police, who registered a case. Mudukulathur ASP Vikraman formed a special team led by Sub Inspector Jesudas of Thirupullani police station to rescue the child.
In the meantime, Nazar left Erwadi for Ramanathapuram by bus along with the child and then to Madurai by train in the evening.
He then escaped to Mangalore from where he called up some persons at the Erwadi dargah and demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh for the child. However, he could not keep the boy in his custody for long and deserted him on the streets in Mangalore.
Noticing the child crying, some local residents handed him over to cops at the Surathkal police station in Mangalore.
Based on the information, the special police team from here rushed to Mangalore and arrested Nazar from a house.
They also took the child under their custody.
The police team then produced Nazar before a Mangalore court and brought him to Ramanathapuram for further interrogation.
On Thursday, he was remanded in judicial custody after being produced before the Ramanathapuram court.
The boy was handed over to Sajina later. However, it is not known why Nazar came down to Erwadi from Karnataka.