A 36-year-old man who was riding a scooter on Thursday night in Koramangala with his year-and-a-half-old son seated precariously in the leg space, sparked concern among citizens. After receiving an alert from a traffic warden, the police spent the better part of the night trying to track the man down as they feared it was a case of child trafficking.
On Friday night, they tracked him down to his residence on Haraluru Road and learnt that the suspect, Susheel Pradhan, had left his house with his son after a row with his wife. “He hails from Bihar but is unemployed as he is an alcoholic. His wife works as a domestic help,” said the police.
The couple had recently separated. On Thursday, Susheel came to the house asking for money. While his wife was busy with household chores, he grabbed the toddler, who was sleeping, placed him in the narrow leg space of his scooter and rode way. When he stopped the scooter at the PVR junction signal in Koramangala, traffic warden Manju Mehra saw the child and started questioning Susheel. She also took a few photos on her mobile phone, which she posted on social media.
When Susheel sped away, Ms. Mehra alerted the police control room. Suspecting a case of child trafficking, the Koramangala police swung into action. Three special teams were dispatched to track him down.
“The scooter belongs to his brother who works in an eatery in Koramangala. Based on the information he gave us, we rushed to Suisheel’s house to find his wife with the boy,” said a police officer. She told the police that Susheel had taken the child without informing her, but returned him on Friday as he was unable to take care of him.
Inspector Shashidhar S.D. summoned the couple and counselled them before letting Susheel off with a warning.
