Horror unfolded in Purnea, Bihar, as authorities raided a nomad’s tent at Rangbhumi Maidan, rescuing a 6-year-old boy abducted from West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. The dramatic recovery highlights the perils lurking within seemingly harmless wandering herbalists and performers who dot India’s landscapes.
Two days earlier, the child was enticed away from play near his Mal Bazaar home. whisked to Bihar by public transport. Alarmed family filed a complaint, spurring a CCTV-led manhunt that apprehended the perpetrator in record time—seven hours flat.
The accused confessed during questioning to offloading the boy for 150,000 rupees to Suresh Singh, whose tent doubled as a herb-selling front. A coordinated Bengal-Purnea police strike found the innocent victim asleep beside Singh, who owned up to the deal but waffled on resale plans. The UP native from Muzaffarnagar is under deep probe for trafficking links.
Nomads living tent-to-tent, hawking medicines and feats without traceable backgrounds, are now prime targets for scrutiny. Purnea police have intensified checks on all such camps post-rescue.
This comes amid heightened alerts after two children were nabbed from Purnea Medical College last week, only returned due to viral photos online. The swift Bengal custody of the boy and Singh offers relief, but experts warn of broader networks preying on transient lifestyles to fuel child trafficking.