An unidentified youth kidnapped a three-year-old girl in Singarayakonda town on Wednesday evening, May 2, and the child remains missing despite ongoing police efforts.

According to Singarayakonda Police, the girl, Aishwarya, is the daughter of daily-wage workers Ch Hari Krishna and his wife, residents of Balireddi Nagar in Old Singarayakonda village. The child was under the care of her grandmother when the incident occurred, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

Police said the grandmother had taken Aishwarya to Railway Station Road, where a young man approached them and began playing with the girl. He later offered to buy biscuits and walked away with the child, never returning. Realising the child had been abducted, the grandmother informed the parents, who searched in vain before filing a complaint on Thursday morning.

A missing case was registered and investigation launched. Police collected CCTV footage showing the suspect with the girl and have circulated around 2,000 pamphlets featuring their photos across Singarayakonda and neighbouring areas, according to the report by The New Indian Express.

Singarayakonda Sub-Inspector (SI) Mahendra said: “We have alerted police stations in Kandukur, Tangutur, Nellore and Ongole. Teams are actively searching for the kidnapper. We appeal to the public to share any leads to 9121102135.”