A 2-year-old boy clung to his captor, cried profusely and refused to leave him after Jaipur Police went to rescue him from Uttar Pradesh, 14 months after his abduction. The dramatic climax unfolded at a local police station where the recovered child, Prithvi, visibly distressed, refused to part ways with his captor despite the police’s efforts.
A video from the station captures the harrowing moment: young Prithvi, now also known as Kukku, clutches tightly to his abductor, Tanuj Chahar, while tears stream down both their faces. The scene only intensified as the child’s cries resonated through the station, even as officers forcibly separated them. The officers then handed over the wailing child to his mother waiting outside with her family.
On August 27, the Jaipur police brought this emotionally charged case to a close with Chahar’s arrest in Aligarh following an elaborate operation spanning multiple cities.
Tanuj Chahar, 33, originally from Agra and previously stationed as a head constable in the Reserve Police Lines in Aligarh, had managed to elude authorities for over a year by constantly changing his appearance and location.
As reported by Times of India, Chahar, a suspended officer with extensive experience in police procedures, used his knowledge to avoid detection. He did not use a phone, never met the same acquaintance twice and even altered his physical appearance, growing a beard and adopting the guise of a monk to conceal his identity.
He lived with the child in a hut on he built near the Yamuna River in Vrindavan.
The abduction stemmed from Chahar’s demands from his reported relative Poonam Chaudhary, Prithvi's mother. According to Additional DCP (Sikau) Poonam Chand Vishnoi and Additional DCP (South) Paras Jain, Chahar had threatened Poonam to leave her home and come with him. When she refused, he resorted to kidnapping her child, hoping to coerce her into submission.
The police operation, involving a special team that traversed Mathura, Agra, and Vrindavan, ultimately led to Chahar’s capture in Aligarh after an intense chase through 8km.
Prithvi was handed over to his mother and the accused has been charged by the police.
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