A seven-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped from Cuttack in Odisha was rescued after a 36‑hour police operation, senior police officials said on Monday. The Cuttack‑Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner, S. Dev Datta Singh, confirmed that the accused was arrested at Balikuda railway station during the operation.
According to the police, the child arrived at Cuttack railway station from Angul on Saturday accompanied by her grandparents. After alighting, the grandparents left the girl near the station to obtain food and discovered she was missing upon their return. The grandmother filed a report, prompting the registration of a case at Chauliaganj police station and the formation of ten dedicated teams to locate the minor.
The teams conducted extensive scans of Cuttack, Kathajodi, Balikuda, Barang and Bhubaneswar railway stations. Review of CCTV footage showed the girl moving with an older man, leading officers to the suspect at Balikuda station where he was apprehended. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he had taken the child to Kaipadar in Khurda district and subsequently handed her over to Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel on Sunday after they began questioning him.
The RPF personnel then transferred the rescued girl to a local Child Welfare Committee, which assumed her care on Sunday. The operation underscores the coordinated effort of multiple law‑enforcement agencies in responding to child abduction cases.
