Kochi: The rescue of the 12-year-old girl from Aluva at Pune Railway Station on Tuesday was the culmination of a relentless four-state police chase, during which investigators tracked fleeting mobile phone signals across Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra before intercepting the Delhi-bound Nizamuddin Express at Pune and arresting the 25-year-old man accused of luring her away.
The Class 8 student from Karumalloor in Alangad had been missing since Saturday evening after leaving home with her mother’s mobile phone, telling her family she was going to collect a textbook from a friend. When she failed to return, her family, neighbours and relatives launched a frantic search before approaching the Aluva West police.
According to the police, the accused, Abhijith (25), a native of Oachira in Kollam district, with whom the girl travelled, was taken into custody by the Aluva West Police with the assistance of the Railway Police. The police said he had been working at an ice cream outlet near Cherai Beach in Kochi for the past six months and allegedly persuaded the minor to accompany him on the pretext of taking her to visit a relative in Delhi.
According to District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) KS Sudarshan, the investigation proved particularly challenging as the disappearance occurred in an area with very limited CCTV coverage.
The police instead relied on mobile phone analysis and local intelligence. During inquiries, officers learnt of a young man who had been visiting the locality to meet the child without her family’s knowledge. Cyber Cell analysis of calls made from the mother’s mobile phone eventually led investigators to Abhijith’s number. The police suspect the two had been communicating through Instagram for nearly a year.
The search then evolved into a race against time. Although both the accused and the child kept their mobile phones switched off for most of their journey, they briefly switched them on at intervals, allowing investigators to trace their movements.
The first mobile tower location emerged from the Mangaluru region, prompting a police team led by Aluva West Sub-Inspector Satheesh Kumar to rush there by road. By the time officers neared Mangaluru, fresh signals indicated the duo had moved into Goa. Hours later, another brief activation placed them in Dharavi, Mumbai, but the phones were switched off again before police could reach the location.
Recognising that the pair was constantly moving across state borders, Ernakulam Rural Police deployed a second team led by Inspector Ganga Prasad of Aluva West Police Station to strengthen the search.
“Within a few hours, we got the location of the girl. First, the location was obtained in the Mangaluru area. Immediately, a team led by Sub-Inspector Satheesh Kumar was sent to Mangaluru. The phones of both the girl and the young man named Abhijith, who was with her, were switched off. The phones were switched on only on rare occasions. Once switched on, they were switched off right away,” Sudarshan said.
“Based on the realisation that the girl was moving around in different places, we sent Inspector Ganga Prasad from the Aluva West Police Station and his team to Goa again,” the SP added.
Continuous cyber surveillance eventually revealed that both were travelling together on board the Delhi-bound Nizamuddin Express. Acting on the real-time intelligence, SI Satheesh Kumar’s team coordinated with the Railway Police and intercepted the train at Pune Railway Station, rescuing the girl and detaining Abhijith.
According to SP Sudarshan, the rescue operation was closely monitored at the highest levels, with both the Chief Minister’s Office and the office of the Fisheries Minister regularly reviewing the progress until the child was found.
“Given that this involved a 12-year-old child, it was a matter of deep concern for all of us. Both police teams and the Cyber Cell worked very actively. While we dispatched teams to different states for the search, the Cyber Cell was monitoring their movements 24 hours a day. Because the information received was relayed to the search teams in real time, we were able to find the child within two days of launching the interstate operations,” Sudarshan said.
Trauma care before recording statement
Police teams are bringing the girl and the accused back to Aluva. Sources said the child is in a state of trauma and will be provided psychological counselling before her detailed statement is recorded.
Abhijith is likely to be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to kidnapping. The police said additional charges may be invoked depending on the findings of the medical examination and the victim’s statement.
“We are yet to understand the motive of the journey. A detailed investigation is needed,” said police sources.
