Wayanad police have intensified their search to nab a man who kidnapped a four-year-old girl and later abandoned her several kilometres away from her house in Mananthavady on Saturday evening.

The child, identified as Jiya (4), daughter of Vattappara Biju and Sini of Dwarka near Mananthavady, was allegedly abducted by a man riding a scooter from the premises of her house around 8 pm, police said. She was found about two hours later at Paliyana, nearly 7 km from her house, by a social worker after a joint search operation involving police, residents and social media alerts.

An eight-member team led by Mananthavady Deputy Superintendent of Police K V Viswambaran has been formed to track down the suspect, who remains at large. "We suspect the accused is someone known to the child, possibly a relative. Hence, all family members and close acquaintances are under CCTV surveillance," K V Viswambaran said.

Police have collected CCTV footage showing a man travelling on a white scooter with the child and are examining additional visuals from nearby areas to identify the suspect. Police also said mobile numbers of unknown persons active in the area over the past two days are being monitored, but no major breakthrough has been made so far.

The probe is being jointly handled by the Mananthavady and Vellamunda police, with District Police Chief Arun K Pavithran supervising the investigation. He visited the child's residence on Monday and spoke to her parents.