MALAPPURAM: Police and parents are on high alert in the interiors of the district against a secret group trying to abduct children going to school for the past several days. The repeated incidents of alleged kidnap attempts in cars and vans have created panic among the parents and teachers alike. Seven such complaints including one on Wednesday have emerged from Tirur, Tanur and Kalpakanchery Police station limits. They have all escaped unhurt.
“Their intention is not the abduction but to create panic. We could not trace them so far. Searches and patrol are going on,” said Sangeeth P., sub-inspector of Kalpakanchery. “We have directed owners of workshops, petrol pumps and others to keep a vigil on suspected vehicles.” On Wednesday morning, a 12-year-old student of Bafakhy Yatheemkhana Higher Secondary School in Valavannur escaped from the abductors who were in a car.
“They had worn masks when they caught me from a secluded area while I was walking to the school alone,” the boy said. Similar incidents had also reported from Thuvvakkad, Athavanad, Kuttippala, Tanalur and Kadungathukundu areas near Tirur during the past week. “Phone calls from the parents are flooding each morning to ensure the safety of their children. We all are a bit scared due to the repeated incidents which also causes mental trauma,” said K.T. Shanavas, deputy headmaster, BYHS School.
Chaotic scenes had played out in many places on Tuesday night as the message of a failed abduction bid in Kuttippala spread through social media. “Many youths have ventured into roads to raid suspected cars and vans, but the timely intervention of the police prevented untoward incidents,” said K.V. Santhosh, DySP of Tirur. He also said the police were verifying the complaints regarding the alleged abductions.
