Ranchi police on Monday heaved a sigh of relief after initial investigation revealed that five children who claimed that they were abducted by a human trafficker on Sunday afternoon were lying.
The State Capital was put on high alert after these children aged between eight to 10 years came to Bero police station, over 45 km from district headquarters, and claimed that they were abducted from a playground in Ranchi.
The children said that they are residents of MECON Colony of Ranchi under Doranda police station. They were playing on the ground when a stranger abducted and took them in an auto rickshaw.
Children said that the said stranger in the blue jacket inhaled them some sedatives due to which they became unconscious. They said that at Bero, the kidnapper dropped them from auto rickshaw to see a police barricading.
“These children include three girls and two boys. Since there are frequent reports of human trafficking police couldn’t afford to take the matter lightly. High alert was issued in Ranchi and neighbouring districts to trace that auto rickshaw and suspect. While parents were informed, children were handed over to their respective parents by Sunday late night. On Monday morning police discovered that children had fabricated the story. They in fact had stolen money and ran out from their home,” an official of Bero police station said.
Officer in-charge of Bero police station Manish Kumar Gupta did not want to take any chance since two days back he had arrested a human trafficker from Bero for trying to traffic two minor girls.
However, Ranchi police lodged FIR on the basis of statements of these children under sections of IPC dealing with kidnapping.
Police blew the lid off this sensational case on Monday morning when officer in-charge of Doranda police station Rajiv Kumar further questioned children and their parents.
“Parents revealed that children feared that they would be beaten for stealing money hence they concocted a story. Police remained on its toes almost for 20 hours,” said an official of Ranchi police.