Ludhiana: Aunt held for plotting infant’s abduction for money, says police

Police say CCTV footage helped police identify suspects;4-month-old boy recovered from aide’s possession in Jalandhar

Five hours after a four-month-old boy was snatched from his 12-year-old cousin in New Chander Nagar, Haibowal police traced the infant to Jalandhar and arrested his paternal aunt and her aide, who police said had orchestrated the kidnapping to sell the child for money.

The accused in police custody on Monday. (HT File)

The accused have been identified as Mamta, a Jalandhar resident and sister of the infant’s father Alok, and her aide Sooraj.

The infant, Aryan, was recovered from Sooraj’s possession in Jalandhar, police said.

Haibowal station house officer (SHO) inspector Jasvir Singh said the boy was being carried by his 12-year-old cousin when she stepped out with her younger siblings to a nearby shop to buy snacks in New Chander Nagar on Sunday evening.

“Mamta and Sooraj, wearing masks and riding a motorcycle, approached the girl and told her that Alok had sent them to take the infant home. When she refused to hand over the child, the duo snatched him from her arms and fled towards a nearby street. The girl tried to chase them but could not catch up, following which she informed her family, who alerted the police,” he said.

The fact that the abductors knew the infant’s father and invoked his name during the kidnapping led investigators to suspect that someone familiar with the family could be involved, police said.

The SHO said investigators examined CCTV footage from the area and identified the suspects. “Multiple police teams were deployed to trace them and the infant was traced to Jalandhar. During the investigation, it was revealed that Mamta hatched the conspiracy to kidnap the boy and sell him. She herself accompanied Sooraj to abduct the infant. The child was recovered from Sooraj’s possession” the SHO said.

“The accused is being examined to establish whether Sooraj was supposed to keep the child or hand him over to another person for further sale. We are also probing whether anyone else was involved and whether the case has any links to a wider child-selling network,” the SHO added.

According to police, Mamta is divorced and has three children.