Kerala child kidnapping case: Businessman, wife, daughter arrested

Kerala Police arrested a businessman, his wife and their daughter on charges of kidnapping a six-year-old girl and demanding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh before abandoning her at a park in Kollam.

Police said on Saturday (December 2) that Padmakumar, his wife Anitha Kumari and daughter Anupama Padman were taken into custody based on scientific, digital and circumstantial evidence.

The crime was planned because Padmakumar was facing an acute financial crisis and Anupama’s earnings had also dropped substantially from YouTube where she had a huge following.

Senior police officer MR Ajithkumar said information provided by civilians, who recognised the voice of one of the accused during ransom negotiations, played a key role in the arrests.

The kidnapping, which unfolded earlier this week, captured public attention when the girl was later found abandoned on a public ground in Kollam.

The police, aided by a portrait of Padmakumar drawn with input from the kidnapped girl, tracked down the accused.

Meticulous planning

"The abduction was meticulously planned. The accused had been planning the crime for one year and were looking for a suitable child to kidnap," Ajithkumar told reporters.

Padmakumar suffered financial losses post-COVID.

"He had debts to the tune of over Rs 5 crore. He had an immediate need of Rs 10 lakh which prompted the family to carry out the crime," the officer said.

The police said the accused had tried to abduct the child twice earlier but didn't succeed as she was accompanied by her mother or grandmother.

He lauded the special police team under DIG Nishanthini which probed the case and nabbed the culprits.

The girl was kidnapped while going home from tuition with her elder brother.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed that the main accused were in police custody.

He slammed the Congress for criticising the police regarding the investigation.

(With agency inputs)