Schoolgirl abandoned at church

In an incident reminiscent of Bollywood flicks, a four-year-old LKG student was kidnapped allegedly for ransom and was later abandoned at a church 50 km away from home.

The vicar of the church handed the girl to the police, who had been scouring Thrissur and neighbouring district for her from Friday morning. She was reunited with her family  
Sub Inspector PK Rajan, who received the girl from the vicar, said Anu Shree had arrived at the Anglo-Indian Nursery School at Karukutty in Ernakulam district by the school bus at 9.30 am.

She was stopped on her way to the class by a youth who covered her mouth and jumped into a Maruti car waiting at the compound of the church adjacent to the school.

Though the school was largely empty as teachers and students were just arriving for the day’s classes, a student who saw the incident alerted a teacher and the principal, who then contacted the police and the local MLA and MP for assistance in finding the girl.

Meanwhile, the girl’s parents received a call with the ransom demand of Rs 15,00,000. An hour later the abductor contacted the girl’s father Madhu, who has just returned from the Gulf and working as a sales person at a local jewellery, informing him that the demand had been halved.

Just when police were about to pounce on the abductors after tracing the calls to Madhu’s mobile phone, the school principal received a call from the vicar of St George’s church at Thiruvillamala with the information that the girl was in his custody.

Seeing the girl standing alone and crying, the vicar asked nuns at the local convent to take care of her. The girl then told them the incident.

Pollice said they are close to arresting the abductors, though they are unable to understand the precise reason for the girl’s kidnap and subsequent abandonment.