Teen kidnaps toddler in Delhi on orders from aunt who wanted a son, held
A 14-year-old allegedly kidnapped a 3-year-old in Delhi on his aunt's orders, seeking a male child. The boy was rescued after 3 days.
A 14-year-old boy allegedly kidnapped a three-year-old from Delhi’s Kamala Market area on orders of his aunt, who had two daughters of her own but wanted a male child, police officers aware of the case said on Tuesday.
The teenager abducted the three-year-old on October 4 and travelled 150km to Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, from where the toddler was rescued three days later, officers said. Police apprehended the teen and arrested his mother, aunt, and uncle in connection with the incident on Monday.
According to police, the juvenile was instructed by his mother and aunt to carry out the abductions so that the adult members of the family are not suspected of the crime.
Deputy commissioner of police (central) Harsha Vardhan said, “The teen is the son of the complainant’s landlord. We followed the movements and caught the teen. He told us that he committed the crime on the instructions of his mother and aunt.”
The toddler’s family said he was playing outside his house on October 4 when he went missing.
“A first information report (FIR) was immediately registered under sections of kidnapping, and teams were deployed to locate the child,” said Vardhan.
Police initially struggled to find clues, despite analysing CCTV footage and deploying informers in the area.
Vardhan said on Sunday night, investigators re-examined CCTV footage and spotted a teen — later identified as the kidnapper — walking with the toddler.
“At first, we thought they were playing, but later we realised the teen was abducting the baby,” said an investigating officer. Further footage showed the 14-year-old taking a rickshaw with the child and boarding a bus. Police tracked the juvenile’s movements through multiple bus routes, eventually leading them to Amroha, the officer added.
“The juvenile managed to take the baby to Ghaziabad and then took another bus and headed to Amroha. It took him at least half a day,” said a second officer.
The teen’s mother, attempting to divert suspicion, had accompanied the victim’s parents to the police station, pretending to assist in the search for the child. After identifying the juvenile, police arrested his mother, aunt, and uncle, while the teen was apprehended on Monday.
“The mother revealed that her sister-in-law wanted a son, so the aunt instructed the boy to kidnap the child,” the DCP said.
The child was rescued from the aunt’s house in Amroha and was brought back to Delhi.