Child taken from Gudhiyari recovered after prolonged highway pursuit
Raipur police recovered a one-year-old boy late on Sunday after a tense nine-hour interstate pursuit that stretched about 280 kilometres and ended in Nagpur district of Maharashtra, officials said. The accused, identified as 23-year-old Pawan Sahu, was arrested after the child was found safe, according to the investigating team.
The incident began at around 2 pm in the Gudhiyari area of Raipur, when Sahu allegedly entered the child’s residence, got into an altercation with the mother and took the infant away. Police said the accused had a prior association with the woman and used the child to try to coerce her to leave the city with him; she refused.
After searching the neighbourhood for over two hours, the parents reached Gudhiyari police station and filed a formal complaint at 4:15 pm. The Raipur Commissionerate immediately launched a tracking operation, deploying multiple teams and combining physical pursuit with technical surveillance.
- Initial clues: Local CCTV footage captured Sahu leaving the house on a two-wheeler with the child.
- Highway lead: Surveillance at Kumhari toll plaza showed the accused crossing at about 3:30 pm on a Royal Enfield motorcycle.
- Pursuit deployment: A six-member road pursuit team was dispatched and three investigative teams worked in coordination with technical units monitoring toll records.
“Our primary fear was that the accused might panic and abandon the one-year-old somewhere in the dark along the highway,” Gudhiyari investigating official Narendra Sahu said. “Time was absolutely critical.”
“Once he crossed Kumhari checkpoint, it became a toll-by-toll digital dragnet. We were physically on the road while our technical units tracked his motorcycle’s progression through sequential toll booths,” the official said.
Investigators said the pursuit combined on-ground teams and digital tracking. The parents accompanied the pursuing police in a vehicle to enable immediate identification and to comfort the infant once recovered.
The chase continued beyond Chhattisgarh’s borders into Maharashtra and concluded in Nagpur district, where the accused was intercepted and the child rescued unharmed. Police described the operation as a coordinated interstate effort, noting the rapid flow of information between road teams and technical units that monitored toll entries.
| Event | Time / Detail |
|---|---|
| Alleged abduction in Gudhiyari | About 2 pm |
| Complaint lodged at Gudhiyari police station | 4:15 pm |
| Crossed Kumhari toll plaza | Approx. 3:30 pm on a Royal Enfield |
| Pursuit duration | Nine hours; about 280 km |
| Conclusion | Child rescued in Nagpur district; accused intercepted |
Officials said the accused was already known to the family and that the motive was to blackmail the mother into leaving Raipur with him. The child was recovered safe; police secured immediate identification by bringing the parents along the pursuit route.
The operation illustrates an increasing use of integrated surveillance — CCTV, toll data and mobile tracking — alongside traditional road deployment to secure rapid responses in abduction cases. Authorities emphasised the time-sensitive nature of such incidents and credited the combination of physical pursuit and technical monitoring for the successful outcome.
Further legal action against the accused will proceed as per due process. Police have not released additional details about charges or the accused’s prior record beyond the account that he had a prior association with the child’s mother.
Residents are urged to report any suspicious activity promptly to local police and to preserve CCTV footage and other records that may assist investigations, officials added.
