Daijiworld Media Network - Ranchi
Ranchi, Jan 14: Two children who were kidnapped from Ranchi were rescued safely on Wednesday morning, bringing an end to 13 days of anxiety and fear for their family and the city.
The children, seven-year-old Ansh Kumar and his six-year-old sister Anshika Kumari, who had gone missing from the Dhurwa area, were traced and rescued from Chitarpur in Ramgarh district. Police arrested two accused in connection with the kidnapping, both hailing from Aurangabad district in Bihar.
A special team of Ranchi Police carried out the successful rescue operation, after which the children were found to be unharmed. Earlier, the police had announced a reward of Rs 4 lakh for information leading to their safe return.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren lauded the police officials for their swift and effective action. In a post on X, Soren said the successful rescue reflected the efficiency and commitment of the Jharkhand Police and expressed relief that the children were found safe.
“Two innocent lives have been freed from the clutches of the kidnappers. How can anyone stoop so low? The last few days were personally very disturbing for me. Initially, there was no breakthrough, but the way Ranchi Police connected the dots with a similar incident in another state, tracked the criminals and rescued the children is commendable,” the chief minister said, adding that strict action would be taken against those involved in such crimes.
He further stated that a thorough investigation would be conducted into similar incidents within and outside the state and action would be taken to dismantle the entire criminal gang.
Speaking to media persons in Ranchi, Director General of Police Tadasha Mishra congratulated the police team for their courage and efficiency. She announced that all officers and personnel involved in the operation would be rewarded.
Police suspect the incident to be part of a larger inter-state human trafficking syndicate. The DGP said more people could be involved and assured that the entire network would be exposed during the ongoing investigation.
The rescue was conducted under ‘Operation Masoom,’ led by SSP Rakesh Ranjan with special monitoring by CID ADG Manoj Kaushik. The arrested accused are currently being interrogated to identify other members of the syndicate.
The children had gone missing from Shalimar Market on January 2 while going to a shop near their house. Following the incident, Ranchi Police launched an intensive search operation, displaying posters with the children’s photographs across the city and on public transport vehicles. Police officers also appealed to the public through WhatsApp statuses.
Hundreds of vehicles that had visited Shalimar Market on the day of the kidnapping were identified and physically verified. Three mobile numbers, including those of the children’s father and the DSP of Hatia, were made public to receive real-time information, which ultimately helped in tracing the children.