The two-and-a-half-year-old boy, abducted in Gampola on Wednesday, was found by the Police yesterday morning in the Karadiyanaru, Batticaloa after an extensive search operation.
According to the Police, the child was being kept hidden in a house in the area when he was found.
The 26-year-old man who also went missing and was suspected to have been abducted along with the child has in fact been identified as the mastermind behind the kidnapping of the child Rinaz Mohamed Salman.
According to the Police, the main suspect along with a woman and her daughter residing in the house where the child was found have also been arrested.
According to the Police, the child had accompanied the main suspect to the Gampola town on the day of the kidnapping after which both were reported as missing by the mother of the child. While the suspect later claimed he was released by the abductors in Kandy, the Police were able to gather information regarding the child’s whereabouts by questioning him.
The abductors of the child
had initially demanded a ransom of Rs. 3 million which was later reduced to Rs. 1 million through negotiation, the Police said. Police are also on the look out for several more suspects in connection to the abduction. The Criminal Investigations Department and three special Police teams were deployed in search of the child. Police are expected to carry out further investigations into the incident.