Six held for kidnapping 13-month-old baby

A 13-month-old girl who was kidnapped from her house in Tirupati and sold to a family in Tamil Nadu was rescued by the Tirupati East police here on Saturday. The child was being used for begging on trains. Six persons have been arrested in connection with the crime.

According to the police, the girl was playing near her house at Chinthalachenu on Wednesday when she was kidnapped. Based on a complaint from her parents, the police registered a case and launched an investigation.

With the help of CCTV camera footage, the police identified the kidnappers as a husband and wife from Virudampattu town of Vellore district in Tamil Nadu and arrested the couple tracking their mobile phone.

During interrogation, the kidnappers told the police that the child was sold to a family for begging on trains between Katpadi and Erode stations. The police then found the girl and arrested the family who bought her.

A two-wheeler and ₹25,271 in cash were seized from the kidnappers. The accused have been identified as Mariyamma, Kandan, Chandramma, Chinna Kannan, Jayapal Raja and Aniyamman. They were remanded.