Child kidnapped from rail station rescued with help of auto drivers

Jaipur: A one-and-a-half-year-old boy, who was kidnapped from Jaipur railway station on Saturday afternoon, was rescued within hours from Naraina, about 60 km away from the city. The man accused of abducting the child, identified as a resident of Naraina and known to be an alcoholic, was arrested.The child, Raj Thakur, was sleeping next to his parents on the railway platform when he was taken, police said. The family, originally from Mathura, was on its way to Jodhpur, where the father, Jeetu Thakur, works at a marble factory. They were waiting for a connecting train in Jaipur when the incident occurred. According to Devendra Pratap, station house officer of Jaipur's Sadar police station, as soon as the parents realised the child was missing, they informed the police, prompting an immediate and widespread search operation involving over 100 police personnel.CCTV footage showed the suspect walking with the child up to the Bais Godown flyover and boarding an auto. Investigators coordinated with auto drivers, who helped circulate the suspect's image through WhatsApp groups. This network of drivers played a key role in tracing the child. Auto drivers at the Naraina bus stand recognised the man from the CCTV images while he was drinking near the area. They promptly informed police, leading to the rescue of the child and the suspect's arrest. Police credited the swift cooperation from the auto drivers and coordinated effort across multiple police stations for the safe recovery of the child. TNN