Blind couple’s baby abducted

Basavaraj and B K Chinnu, both visually challenged, married two years ago. A year on, they had a baby boy.

The family visited the city on April 27. But as fate would have it, while they were at the Majestic bus station, their only hope was kidnapped.

The couple, natives of Arakere village in Devadurga, Raichur, lost Sagar, their eight-month-old son. The Upparpet police have registered a case and a search is on.

Chinnu, the mother, told the police that the family boarded a bus from Raichur on the night of April 26 to meet Channabasava, a relative in the city. They arrived at Majestic on April 27 around 7 am and were waiting for a bus at BMTC platform, 19 (D).

Around 7.30 am, Sagar started crying. Chinnu took him to have a drink of water at the public water kiosk. As the blind lady was finding it difficult to feed the baby, a woman approached, offering help. She asked Chinnu to hand over the baby and the glass.

After feeding, the woman returned the glass. Soon after, when Chinnu asked to return the baby, there was no response. Chinnu waved her hands and cried out for her baby boy, but in vain. The woman and the baby had vanished all of a sudden. The couple looked everywhere, but could not find Sagar.

Ravi D Channannavar, DCP (West), told DH that out of the 16 cameras at the Majestic bus station, only eight are functioning. The police are unable to get CCTV footage of the incident.

“Ever-since the terror attacks in Sri Lanka we have been requesting the authorities to install CCTV cameras. They say they have a Rs 4.5-crore project coming up, and they will do it,” he said.