Child abduction: Sketch of male suspect released as search continues

Kollam: The overnight search for the six-year-old girl, kidnapped by a group on Monday evening near her home in Oyoor in Kollam, has not yielded any clue.

Abigail Sara Reji was heading home after tuition class with her eight-year-old brother Jonathan when a group dragged her inside a car but her brother managed to free himself, reporting the family about the abduction.

Jonathan reportedly said that the abductors including three men and a women were wearing masks. As he resisted kidnapping, the gang fled in the car.

Immediately after kidnapping, Abigail Sara’s mother received a call, believed to be from the kidnappers, demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakhs for releasing the child.

The police quickly swung into action, pulling nearly all cars over searching for the child.

People across the state spent the night on pins and needles hoping for the best, expecting some leads by the morning in the police investigation.

In the morning, it is reported that police have released the sketch of a suspect and the sketch of the woman in the group will be released shortly.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, according to his office, has directed officials to intensify search for the child.

Vijayan also requested people not to spread false information about the incident.

Meanwhile, an audio believed to be that of the kidnappers, released by the TV channels, demanded Rs 10 lakh to release the child on Wednesday morning.

The kidnappers warned the parents against informing the police.

Police searched vehicles through the night nearly on all roads in the southern districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram.

A police officer reportedly said: ‘We have collected CCTV footage from cameras in the area and are going through it. The vehicle used in the kidnapping is suspected to be a white sedan -- either a Honda Amaze or a Swift Dzire.’ The parents of the children are nurses with two private hospitals.