A four-year-old boy who was abducted from Thakurmunda market in Mayurbhanj on Friday has been safely rescued by members of the transgender community in Jajpur Road.
The accused, who was impersonating a transgender person, was apprehended and handed over to the police.
According to the Kinnar Mahasangh, a transgender association, the individual responsible for the abduction does not belong to their group and was falsely identifying as transgender. In response to a request for assistance from Thakurmunda police, the association mobilised a search effort, leading to the child’s rescue following a tip-off.
The accused, identified as Lipu Nayak, claimed that he had taken the child in an attempt to reunite him with his parents after reportedly losing his mother at the Maa Basulei fair. However, authorities have launched an investigation into the incident after the boy’s mother, Stiti Patra, filed a complaint.
The child was safely reunited with his family, while the transgender community demanded strict action against those misrepresenting their identity for criminal purposes.