Two-year-old girl abducted in Singrauli rescued from Jharkhand in 36 hours
Synopsis
A two-year-old girl snatched from a Singrauli bus stand while her father slept was recovered from a village in Jharkhand's Latehar district in just 36 hours — thanks to a 150-member SIT, 200 CCTV cameras, and a trail pieced together from bus and auto-rickshaw drivers. The speed of the recovery highlights what targeted inter-state police coordination can achieve in child abduction cases.
Key Takeaways
A two-year-old girl was abducted from Baidhan Bus Stand, Singrauli on 16 May 2025 while her father slept nearby.
Police rescued the child from Masiato village, Latehar district, Jharkhand within 36 hours of the complaint.
An SIT of 10 teams with approximately 150 police personnel was formed under SP Shiayaz K.M. and DSP Roshni Patel .
Investigators reviewed footage from nearly 200 CCTV cameras to trace the suspect's route.
The accused, identified as a resident of Jharkhand's Latehar district , was arrested at his home.
The girl was handed over safely to her family after the inter-state operation.
A two-year-old girl abducted from the Baidhan Bus Stand in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh was rescued safely from Jharkhand within 36 hours of her father filing a missing complaint, police announced on Tuesday, 19 May. The swift recovery followed a large-scale inter-state operation involving 150 police personnel and footage from nearly 200 CCTV cameras.
How the Child Went Missing
The incident occurred on 16 May, when the girl's father was sleeping with his daughter at the Baidhan Bus Stand. When he woke late at night, the child was missing. After a fruitless search of the surrounding area, he suspected she had been taken by an unidentified person and lodged a complaint at Baidhan Police Station.
The Investigation and Search Operation
Police registered a case immediately and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of Singrauli Superintendent of Police Shiayaz K.M., with 10 teams deployed under the leadership of Deputy Superintendent of Police Roshni Patel. Alerts were sent to police stations across the district, neighbouring districts, and adjoining states.
Search operations fanned out across railway stations, bus stands, hospitals, dams, and riverbanks in Baidhan, Vindhyanagar, Morwa, Bargawan, and Mada. Investigators reviewed footage from approximately 200 CCTV cameras and distributed posters bearing the child's photograph on public notice boards, auto-rickshaws, and buses. Information was also circulated on social media and in local newspapers.
The Breakthrough: CCTV Trail to Jharkhand
Technical analysis of CCTV footage revealed a man travelling with the girl from Baidhan toward Bilauji and then Majan Mor. Questioning of bus and auto-rickshaw drivers led investigators to identify the suspect as a resident of Masiato village in Latehar district, Jharkhand.
'Immediately upon receiving this intelligence, special police teams were dispatched to Jharkhand. The accused was apprehended and the girl was safely rescued,' SP Shiayaz K.M. said at a press conference on Tuesday. The accused was arrested at his home in Jharkhand.
Child Reunited With Family
The girl was handed back to her family unharmed. SP Shiayaz K.M. noted that the gravity of the abduction prompted the rapid formation of the SIT and the deployment of resources across multiple jurisdictions. The case underscores the vulnerability of families sheltering at public transport hubs and the critical role of inter-state police coordination in child recovery operations. Charges against the accused are expected to be filed in the coming days.
Point of View
But the deeper story is one of systemic vulnerability: a father and toddler sleeping at a public bus stand, with no safety net in place. Child abductions at transport hubs are a recurring pattern across central India, and the fact that it took a 150-member SIT — rather than routine station-level vigilance — to resolve this case points to a gap in preventive infrastructure. The CCTV network and inter-state coordination worked here; the question is whether that capability is replicable or was a one-off mobilisation driven by media pressure.
NationPress
4 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Where and when was the two-year-old girl abducted?
The girl was abducted from the Baidhan Bus Stand in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh on 16 May 2025, while her father was asleep beside her at the stand.
How did police trace the child to Jharkhand?
Investigators analysed footage from nearly 200 CCTV cameras and identified a man travelling with the girl from Baidhan toward Bilauji and Majan Mor. Questioning of local bus and auto-rickshaw drivers helped police identify the suspect as a resident of Masiato village in Jharkhand's Latehar district.
Who led the rescue operation?
The SIT was constituted under Singrauli Superintendent of Police Shiayaz K.M., with 10 teams of around 150 personnel deployed under Deputy Superintendent of Police Roshni Patel.
What happened to the accused?
The accused, a resident of Masiato village in Latehar district, Jharkhand, was arrested at his home after special police teams were dispatched to the state. Formal charges are expected to be filed in the coming days.
Was the child harmed?
According to police, the girl was rescued safely and handed over to her family unharmed following the inter-state operation.
