A couple from Rajasthan, struggling to conceive, allegedly kidnapped a four-year-old boy from Jaipur railway station last week to raise him as their own, police said.
The accused, 28-year-old Sundar Kashyap and Jeevika, abducted the toddler, Shivam, while he and his mother, Priyanka, were waiting for a train. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the station.
On the evening of March 14, Priyanka, a daily-wage worker, was traveling to her parents’ home in Siwan, Bihar, with her three children when Jeevika lured Shivam away. The couple then boarded a bus at Narayan Singh Circle, heading towards Uttar Pradesh. When Priyanka discovered her son was missing, she and her husband immediately launched a frantic search before filing a police complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP) on March 15.
“CCTV footage played a crucial role in tracking down the accused,” said GRP SHO Arun Chaudhary.
Police apprehended the couple in Mahuwa, Dausa district, within 48 hours of the kidnapping and successfully reunited Shivam with his parents.
Upon raiding their residence, officers found the child unharmed. Ajmer GRP DSP Narender Singh revealed that Jeevika, a mother of two, had been living with Kashyap after leaving her husband. Due to a sterilization procedure, she was unable to conceive.
“The couple had tried medical treatments but failed, leading them to plan the abduction,” Singh stated, citing details from the Times of India.
Investigations revealed that Kashyap and Jeevika had been plotting to kidnap a child for nearly eight months. They conducted extensive research at the railway station before executing their plan, even packing clothes, snacks, and milk for the child before the abduction.
The couple had already decided to rename the boy, considering calling him ‘Ashish,’ and Jeevika reportedly insisted that the child address her as ‘mummy.’
Both accused have been arrested under BNS Section 137(2) for kidnapping.
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