Ludhiana: 6 months on, no headway in toddler abduction case

It has been almost six months when seven-month-old Khushi was abducted from the Ludhiana railway station, but the Government Railway Police (GRP) is still nowhere close to finding a clue.

She was picked up when she was sleeping with her mother on a platform in June this year. Her family had travelled back to the city from Vaishno Devi late at night and decided to sleep at the station and leave in the morning. The family found the girl, Khushi, missing when they woke up.

Her father Chandan Parsad claimed that they were sleeping right in front of the entrance where police personnel were on duty all night. The police claimed that the station house officer (SHO), GRP station, Ludhiana junction, Inspector Jatinder Singh, sifted the available CCTV footage at the station and around it but couldn’t find any clue. The SHO also said they have inquired about the child trafficking gangs caught across the state after the incident, but couldn’t provide any information on Khushi. “We have inquired about 25 child trafficking gangs caught across the state since July. But none of them knew anything about Khushi,” he said.

One of the reasons that the GRP haven’t been able to get hold of any clues is that some of the cameras at the station were not functional that night. The police security cameras under the flyover outside the station were also not working.

“There were some gaps in the footage as all the cameras were not working that night. And the police security cameras under the flyover were also facing some technical problem,” he added.

Khushi’s father Chandan Prasad, a labourer, said, “We feel helpless. It has been so long, but there is no word about my daughter. I do go to the police. They say that they are ready to go anywhere with me to find her, but they don’t have any clue.”

The SHO said the police would keep looking for clue to find Khushi.