6-year-old’s abductor in police custody

TIRUPATI: More than four months after the kidnap of a six-year-old boy from Tirupati, who was later rescued in Vijayawada and reunited with his parents, the police on Tuesday arrested the abductor from Tirupati. The boy hailing from Chhattisgarh was abducted from the Alipiri Link Bus stand in February.

The police identified the accused with the help of CCTV but could not nab him even after launching a massive hunt in the State as well as in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The six-year-old Sivam Saahu came to the temple town along with his parents and nearly 50 other pilgrims from Chhattisgarh. The abductor took away the boy while his parents were resting at the bus stand. The abductor was identified as Venkata Ramanappa Siva Prasad alias Sivappa of Mulbagal taluk of Kolar district in Karnataka.

The police then formed 25 special teams but could not nab the accused. As the images of the abductor were circulated in media, Sivappa after tonsuring the boy left him at Vijayawada fearing that he would be caught. On Tuesday, Alipiri police got a tip-off and nabbed the accused. Sivappa reportedly told the police that Sivam looked similar to his younger son, who had died, and that made him abduct the boy.