Bhubaneswar, Apr 15 (PTI) The Odisha Police on Tuesday rescued the kidnapped one-and-half-year-old boy of a visually impaired beggar in Bhubaneswar and arrested one person in this regard, an officer said.

The baby boy was handed over to the mother after medical examination at the Capital Hospital here, Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh told reporters.

The baby was kidnapped early on Sunday by an unidentified man when he was playing and his mother and sister were sleeping on the footpath.

Singh said that one person, identified as 27-year-old Kedarsan Panda of Gangadharapur area in Puri district, has been arrested and one woman, from whom the child was rescued in Balasore district, has been detained.

“Raids were conducted and the child was rescued from Khantapada police station area in Balasore district,” the CP said, adding that Panda kidnapped the boy and took him to Bhubaneswar railway station, from where he took the child to Balasore by train.

According to their plan, the woman, identified as Jhelam Rani Panda, received the child at Balasore railway station.

Jhelam Rani Panda has two daughters and a nine-year-old son who is suffering from serious illness.

She claimed she was in search of a male child for adoption.

“Her claim is under verification and her role in the case is under investigation,” the CP, while replying to a question on the possible motive of organ theft.

The police said it had formed four teams to look for the child, even outside the state.

“The help of human intelligence, technical intelligence, camera surveillance and mobile forensics was taken,” the CP said.

Assistance was also taken from Railway Protection Force, West Bengal Police and Balasore and Bhadrak district police forces.

Expressing his satisfaction over the safe return of the baby, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi praised the police.

In an X post, he said, “The news of the return of the baby boy stolen from Bhubaneswar to his visually impaired mother has given me peace of mind. I am very happy to see the smile on the face of the mother on finding her baby boy. The baby was rescued within 3 days of the incident. The steps taken by the police administration towards providing speedy justice to a poor, helpless woman are certainly commendable.” Majhi said his government has always been sensitive towards people’s issues and solves their problems.

“Every resident of Odisha, especially the poor, helpless people who have no one to help them, has the government system at their disposal at all times. Solving their problems is our top priority,” the chief minister said.

After getting back her child, the visually impaired woman checked the boy by touching him and confirmed that the kid was hers.

“I am very happy. I express my gratitude to Lord Ram before whose temple I beg. I thank the police for taking prompt action,” the woman said.

The visually impaired 25-year-old woman, who lives in Niladrivihar Kanyashrama, said in her complaint that she could not return to the shelter home on Saturday night due to bad weather and slept on the footpath along with her seven-year-old daughter and one-and-half-year-old son.

Around 2 am on Sunday, an unidentified person came to her and offered juice to them and gave his mobile phone to the child to play.

“The baby was playing with the mobile phone and I went back to sleep. When I woke up, that person had left the place with the child,” the woman said. PTI AAM RG AAM ACD