Youth arrested for abducting 4-year-old girl in Wayanad

Wayanad: Kalpetta police have arrested a youth in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a four-year-old girl. The apprehended is Chappali Jihas (25), son of Ibrahim, native of Padinjarethara. He was taken into custody from Kozhikode, police said.

The accused has earlier been arrested in connection with various crimes, including theft and ganja smuggling. According to police, the kidnapping was carried out with the intention of stealing the child’s earrings.

The child was allegedly abducted by Jihas on a scooter from her home around 8 pm on Saturday. Following widespread alerts on social media and a search operation by the police and local residents, the accused abandoned the child at Paliayana, about 7 km from her house.

The child was later spotted around 11 pm by social worker Jose Paliayna while she was standing by the roadside and was crying. Police believe the accused attempted to remove the child’s earrings but abandoned the attempt after she began crying in pain. The suspect was apprehended at Kozhikode railway station on Tuesday evening.

Reportedly employed in Bangalore, the accused had a habit of roaming around the area on a bike or scooter whenever he returned home. Police suspect that such trips were part of his theft attempts. He was travelling on a scooter (KL-12 N 7890) at the time of the incident. The child’s crying is believed to have prevented him from carrying out the theft.

Addressing the media, District Superintendent of Police Arun K Pavithran said multiple teams were deployed for the investigation. CCTV footage from all routes in the area was collected and analysed. “We also examined footage from bars, eateries, and other nearby establishments,” he said.

The colour and details of the scooter helped police narrow down the suspect. CCTV footage covering approximately 13 km was verified and analysed. Public assistance also played a crucial role after a description of the accused was circulated.

Police tracked the mobile number used by the accused and received information that he was in Kozhikode and planning to leave the state. Following an alert, the Kozhikode flying squad apprehended him at the railway station and handed him over to the Wayanad police team. He was brought to Wayanad on Wednesday morning and reportedly confessed to the crime.

A special squad was formed under the leadership of Mananthavadi Deputy Superintendent of Police K V Viswambaran. The investigation was jointly carried out by the Station House Officers (SHOs) of Vellamunda and Mananthavadi police stations. An 18-member team was constituted for the purpose.