Vijayawada: In a dramatic turn of events, Government Railway Police (GRP) here have rescued a three-year-old girl and arrested three individuals, including her own father, on charges of child trafficking.

The incident began on the night of August 7, when a man identified as Saikam Mastan from Vetapalem in Bapatla district, reported to the GRP police station in Vijayawada that his daughter, Sravani, had gone missing from the railway station’s platform 1.

Acting swiftly, GRP SHO JV Ramana, along with GRP and RPF teams, launched a search operation. A review of the railway station’s CCTV footage revealed that the child had been abducted by a man and a woman. Further investigation, which included a review of bus station CCTV footage in the Krishnalanka area, showed the suspects boarding a bus towards Visakhapatnam.

SHO Ramana immediately contacted the bus driver, who confirmed that the two suspects and the child were on board. With the help of the Rajahmundry GRP, the suspects were intercepted and taken into custody along with the child. During questioning, police became suspicious of the father, Saikam Mastan’s, inconsistent statements. On August 8, they summoned the child’s mother, Saikam Venkateswaramma, to Vijayawada. Venkateswaramma revealed that her husband, Mastan, had been estranged from the family for four months and had abducted their daughter two days prior.

Based on the mother’s complaint, the GRP registered an FIR and began a thorough investigation. Upon further interrogation, Saikam Mastan confessed to abducting his daughter and selling her to the two suspects for Rs 5,000. The suspects, in turn, admitted they were taking the child to Rajahmundry for begging. It was also revealed that Mastan had previously sold his third daughter to another individual in Vetapalem.

The three accused—Saikam Mastan, Bolla Srinivasulu and Sadela Chinnari - have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.