A seven-year-old girl, who was kidnapped for ransom from outside her home in West Bengal's Malda district, was rescued by police after an operation of four-and-a-half hours.

According to the police, the girl was kidnapped by two bike-borne men at 11.40 am on December 22 from outside her home. The girl's father also received a call from the kidnappers, threatening harm should the police be informed. Upon receiving a complaint from the girl's father, who is a business person in the city, an operation was launched to rescue the girl, police said.

Based on the technical investigation, the location of the accused kidnappers was found near the West Bengal-Bihar border following which checking was launched on all routes leading to Bihar.

The Malda Police also alerted nearby districts like Islampur and Raiganj. The police then managed to track the phone’s exact location and intensified their efforts.

The accused kidnappers, Ijaz Ahmed and Raju Mustafa, both residents of Harishchandrapur, were arrested, and the girl was also rescued. In the operation, the police also seized a firearm and live cartridges from the accused.

During interrogation, the accused told the police that they were planning to flee to Bihar via Itahar, Karandighi, and Dalkhola, aiming to extort a significant ransom from the girl's father.

After the incident, a case was filed against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and a further probe was underway.

Source: India Today