Pettah toddler missing case: All eyes on strange yellow scooter that appeared in CCTV footage

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The father and elder brother of the missing child revealed to the police that it was someone in a yellow scooter who took away the two-year-old on Sunday night.

Amardeep who was sleeping beside his wife and children got up at 1 am, only to answer nature's call. It was during this time that he found that his two-year-old daughter was missing. After waking up those who were with him, he reached the Pettah police station at 2:30 am and registered a complaint.

The police then registered a case of kidnapping and reached the spot to conduct a preliminary investigation. The lack of surveillance cameras in the area hampered the investigation. The CCTV footage of the nearby Brahmos was checked but nothing suspicious was found. Amidst this, the police also received a witness record saying he saw the girl going along with a youngster and another old man in a scooter.

A police dog sniffed the child's clothes, but they stopped in front of Brahmos and didn’t move further. The police scoured the bushes near the place where the child was sleeping throughout the day but failed to acquire any crucial evidence. Meanwhile, the police say that they have received clues about the suspect. The police are investigating the CCTV footage. It is indicated that the CCTV footage obtained from near Brahmos is very crucial in the investigation. After 12 midnight, two people can be seen going on a bike in the footage. The suspicion is strengthened by the fact that there is a child between them.

The family of 11 members from Bihar's Samastipur are known to visit Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to collect and sell honey. For the past 20 years, the family have been following the tradition of visiting the place during the season. The practice is to stay in huts in deserted fields and travel to different places to collect honey. They will return to their village when the season is over.

The family arrived in Thiruvananthapuram only a week ago.