A frantic Statewide search has been initiated in Kerala following the abduction of six-year-old Abigail Sara Reji from Maruthanampally Road near Oyoor. The incident occurred at approximately 4:45 pm when the child was forcibly taken into a white sedan by a gang, including a woman.
Within three hours of the abduction, the mother received a ransom call from an unknown number, demanding Rs 5 lakh. Later, the kidnappers increased the ransom to Rs 10 lakh during a subsequent call five hours after the initial abduction. The caller believed to be a woman, issued a warning against involving the police and insisted on the ransom being arranged.
Transcript of the alleged kidnapper’s message:
- “Hello, the kid is safe. We will call again tomorrow at 10. You have to arrange Rs 10 lakh… you arrange we will bring the kid tomorrow at 10.”
- “Do not inform the police; things will get out of our hands. Tomorrow we will bring the child to your house.”
- “Do not call back to this phone; this is not our phone.”
- “If you do not want anything to happen to the child, you must not inform the police. Our boss has said the child will be released tomorrow at 10.”
The first phone call was traced to a shop in Parippally, Kollam. The abductors took precautions to conceal their identities by not using identifiable phone numbers. Unconfirmed reports suggest they abandoned the white car and fled in an auto with a possible fake registration number.
An eyewitness in Parippally described the woman in the group as being in her mid-thirties, wearing a green churidar with white dots and a black shawl. The accompanying man was reported to have worn a brown shirt and khaki pants. The witness claimed to have observed them near the shop where the ransom call was made.
The child’s eight-year-old brother, Jonathan, revealed that the group also attempted to abduct him, but he managed to escape. The siblings were walking to a tuition centre near their home when the incident occurred, and their parents were away.
Jonathan stated that there were three men and a woman inside the car, but the vehicle’s registration number remains unclear from CCTV footage. He also mentioned having seen the same car near their house a week before the abduction.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with leads is urged to contact the police.
