Tamil Nadu Toddler Found In Andhra Pradesh Month After She Went Missing

A toddler, who went missing from a roadside in Tamil Nadu's Ranipet district a month ago, has been rescued from Andhra Pradesh, where she was allegedly being kept by a woman who had been separated from her husband and had no children, police said. Five people have been arrested, and investigators are probing whether the child was sold.

The baby, Maheswari, disappeared on September 23 when her parents, Shekar, 46, and Prema, 23, were sleeping by the roadside near Lalapet, close to SIPCOT in Ranipet district. The couple, who lead a nomadic life, collect discarded bottles and seek alms.

The investigation allegedly led police to a 44-year-old Andhra woman, identified as Malleshwari, who was known to a couple from Lalapet. According to the police investigation, the couple, identified as Boopathi, 42, and Kausalya, 40, allegedly stole the baby and handed her over to Malleshwari.

Malleshwari had reportedly been married for 24 years but had no children. Her husband is said to have left her around 20 years ago. Investigators suspect the couple may have acted to help her, though the circumstances and motive remain part of the probe.

A special police team traced the one-year-old girl to Andhra Pradesh and rescued her from an air-conditioned room, bringing an end to the month-long search.

Five people - Santhosh, Kumar, Boopathi, Kausalya, and Malleshwari - have been arrested in connection with the case.

A senior police officer told NDTV that the question of whether money changed hands remains unresolved. "This part - whether there was sale of the baby, is not confirmed. It's still under investigation," the officer said.

The rescue comes amid a series of child-related cases in Tamil Nadu. In a separate case, three girls, including two siblings who had been missing in Tiruvannamalai district since Monday, were traced at a bus terminus outside Chennai.

A search for another missing seven-year-old boy in Madurai district ended when his body was found. Police later arrested his 10-year-old friend, who allegedly tightened a rope around his neck during play, and the friend's mother, accused of hiding the body out of fear and attempting to destroy evidence.