Ludhiana: No breakthrough in last year’s abduction, family awaits justice

On June 30 last year, a seven-month-old girl, Khushi, was kidnapped from the station as her family slept beside her

While the Ludhiana railway police are on toes since the abduction of a one-year-old on the night intervening Monday and Tuesday, investigators are still struggling to find any clue in connection with the investigation into a similar case last year.

Khushi was 7-month-old at the time of her abduction. (HT Photo)

On June 30 last year, a seven-month-old girl, Khushi, was kidnapped from the station as her family slept beside her. The victim’s family members, who had returned to the city from the Vaishno Devi shrine in the wee hours, were sleeping at the railway station as they had to leave for their residence in Basti Jodhewal in the morning. Khushi was sleeping with her mother. However, when they woke up in the morning, she was missing.

Her father Chandan Prasad, a factory worker, feels torn between helplessness and hope of seeing his daughter again. He blames his poverty for the lack of any action in the case. “I am a poor man. Who cares about us? The police haven’t found any clue about the kidnapper. If I were someone powerful, I don’t think the investigation would have turned out better,” he lamented.

He added that the GRP has asked him not to change his mobile number and that they would contact him as soon as they find any clues in the case. While the platform is covered by a dozen cameras, the one that covered the spot where the family was resting had been out of service that night, and the police couldn’t find who had taken away the infant.

“We have tried a lot to figure out who kidnapped the girl, but so far it is a dead end,” said inspector Palwinder Singh, station house officer, GRP station.

“The camera at that spot during those hours had a technical problem. There are around 48 cameras at the station, and one or two of those can and do face technical issues at times. That is the nature of it. They get functional in hours,” he added.

A senior police officer, who has served in the Punjab Police’s criminal investigation agency (CIA), said, while seeking anonymity, “In such cases, the first 24-48 hours are crucial. Whatever is possible should be done in that period. Most of the kidnapping cases in trains or stations have been solved within 24-48 hours only.”