Bhubaneswar: A four-year-old boy, allegedly abducted by an imposter from Thakurmunda market in Mayurbhanj district on Friday, has been safely rescued by a group of transgender persons in Jajpur.
The accused, who posed as a transgender person, was not associated with the community, said All Odisha Kinnar Mahasangh, an association of transgenders.
Secretary of the Mahasangh Kajal Kinnar reportedly said that the Thakurmunda police IIC informed the group about the incident and sought their cooperation in rescuing the child who was in Jajpur Road. The transgender team searched for the child and received an information about the accused’s plan to shift the boy. They acted swiftly and rescued the child.
“We searched for the child in various lanes in the town. In the wee hours, we got a tip-off that a man impersonating a transgender person was preparing to shift the child from Jajpur to another place. Our team immediately rushed to the spot and rescued the child. We also immediately informed the Thakurmunda Police IIC as well as the Jajpur Road police before handing over the child,” said Kajal Kinnar.
The Mahasangh demanded strict action against the accused who was trying to defame the Kinnar Association.
The accused, identified as Lipu Nayak claimed innocence, stating that he took the child as he had lost his mother at a fair and was trying to reunite him with his parents.
The police have registered a case and launched an investigation after the boy’s mother, Stiti Patra, lodged a complaint. The child was reunited with his parents after being rescued.