A four-year-old boy kidnapped near his home in Thane, police launch search

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In a distressing incident in Thane, Maharashtra, a four-year-old boy was allegedly kidnapped by an unidentified person on Sunday evening. The incident took place in the Kalyan Phata area, according to police officials.

The boy was reportedly abducted from near his home, and his family, upon noticing his disappearance, began an immediate search for him but was unable to locate him. The family approached the local Shil-Daighar police station on Monday to file a report. As per the police official, a case of kidnapping was registered under section 137(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to kidnapping.

"The family had made attempts to search for the boy on their own, but as they were unsuccessful, they reached out to the police authorities on Monday," said the official from Shil-Daighar police station. He did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the incident but assured that all possible efforts were being made to trace the child and locate the person responsible for the abduction.

Following the registration of the case, the police launched a search operation, scouring the surrounding areas and conducting inquiries with local residents. The police have also been using available resources to monitor security footage and collect information that could lead to the identification of the suspect.

Earlier this year The Thane police, through a collaborative effort with a hospital in Thane, and the Madhya Pradesh police, reunited a 17-year-old specially-abled boy from Ujjain, with his family, officials said. Police said that the boy, who had been missing for nearly three years, from his home in MP, was reportedly found wandering barefoot and in tattered clothes on the streets in Thane in August 2022.

The case came to light after a local resident alerted the Child Welfare Commission (CWC) about a ‘homeless' boy under Thane's Kasarvadavli police jurisdiction. The CWC took custody of the boy and told the police to trace his origins. Initially identified under a different name, the boy was placed in a children's home. However, during a medical evaluation, he exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions, prompting authorities to transfer him to the Thane Mental Hospital.