Abigail Kidnapping Case: Kerala Police hunts for kidnappers who sought Rs 10 lakh ransom

bigail Sara Reji, daughter of Reji, a native of Ayoor, was kidnapped while she was going to tuition with her elder brother, Jonathan. The police have released a sketch of a man who was part of the gang that kidnapped the child.

Kollam: Three people have been detained so far in connection with the kidnapping of a six-year-old girl from Kerala's Kollam district on Monday. Abigail Sara Reji, daughter of Reji, a native of Ayoor, was kidnapped while she was going to tuition with her elder brother, Jonathan. Kerala Police South Region IG, Spurgeon Kumar has said that the whereabouts of the girl have yet to be confirmed. He said that the investigation is ongoing and that various teams have been constituted to examine CCTV footage and conduct cyber investigations.  He also said that the number of the white car used for kidnapping the girl was fake.

As per the latest reports, Thiruvananthapuram Sreekanteswaram police have conducted a search at a car washing centre. At the same time, there are indications that three people have been detained on the basis of suspicion. It has been over 15 hours since the child went missing. The kidnapper called the child's mother and asked for a ransom of Rs 10 lakh. The woman who called said that the money should be kept ready by 10 am following which they will release the child.

The girl's brother said that there were four people in the car, including three men and a woman. He said that the people in the car asked him to give a paper to his mother and tried to abduct him. When the boy tried to stop his sister from being dragged into the car, the vehicle started moving and he fell down. The police found the car on CCTV footage. However, the number of the car is not clear in the footage. Meanwhile, it is clear that the car is registered in Thiruvananthapuram. At the same time, it is also possible that the number of the car is fake. 

The police have released a sketch of a man who was part of the gang that kidnapped the child. The sketch was prepared based on the description provided by the owner of a shop at LPS Junction near Paripally. At 7:30 pm on Monday, the kidnapping suspects called the mother of the six-year-old girl from her mobile phone and demanded the ransom. 

The shop owner told Asianet News:  "A man and a woman came at around 7:30. The woman asked for her mobile phone to make a call. She stood a little distance away while making the phone call. Meanwhile, the man bought biscuits, rusk and coconut. By the time I was packing the things, the woman returned the phone. The man was not wearing a mask. The woman had covered her head with a shawl. The man is essentially a tall 50-year-old. The woman looks about 35 years old."

The CCTV footage of the abduction was also released. In the CCTV footage, a man can be seen watching the abduction of the child. The police are trying to trace the man.

Top police officials are at Abigail's residence, and monitoring the situation. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Monday directed the police officials to ensure a flawless and speedy investigation into the incident. He also requested people to refrain from spreading false information about the incident.