Kollam child abduction: Crime branch to take over probe

Kollam: The Crime Branch will take over the Kollam child abduction case. The probe will be carried out by the Rural District Crime Branch here. It will be headed by Rural Crime Branch DySP MM Jose. 

The development comes at a time when questions against the police version of the crime are in the limelight. 

The six-year-old girl, who was kidnapped while going home from tuition with her elder brother, was found abandoned here the next day. KR Padmakumar (52), an engineering graduate, his homemaker wife Anitha Kumari (45), and their daughter Anupama Padman (20), a YouTuber, were arrested based on a combination of scientific, digital, and circumstantial evidence.

 According to police, the accused, Padmakumar, and his family resorted to committing the crime due to the financial crisis triggered by the post-Covid situation. However, certain ambiguities persist, prompting further questions.

Police claim that the family demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom. The officials citing Padmakumar’s version also said he had debt to the tune of over Rs 5e crore. The intriguing question is whether the family would go for a Rs 10 lakh crime deal when the money required is multiplefold. Interestingly, even KB Ganesh Kumar, who is a member of the party affiliated with the ruling front, raised doubts over the statements issued by the key accused in the Kollam abduction case.

Another question is whether a three-member family can execute a crime of this kind without any external help. Similarly, the question of why the family prolonged the attempt remains ambiguous. 

With PTI inputs