Police rescued a 12-year-old boy, who was abducted from Saptari district on April 26, from Indian territory on Monday night.

Laxman Kumar Yadav of Rajgadh Rural Municipality-3 was rescued from Shivahar in Sitamarhi district of India, said police. In a press meet on Tuesday, the Saptari police handed over the rescued boy to his family.

 Laxman was kidnapped by an unidentified group while attending his maternal uncle’s wedding. A police complaint was lodged by Bholendra Yadav, Laxman’s maternal uncle, to find the missing boy. A preliminary investigation showed that Laxman was kidnapped, after which security personnel operated a search operation along the Nepal-India border.

A security team of 23 plain-clothed police personnel, led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajendra Bista, was deployed in the Indian territory in coordination with the Indian authorities. While the police search was underway, an unidentified person telephoned Laxman’s uncle Birendra Yadav and demanded Rs 5 million as ransom to release the abducted boy. The abductors had also called Laxman’s father Jageshwor Yadav, who is currently in Mumbai for employment, and demanded ransom amount.

The police team intensified the search from Darbhanga to Sitamarhi area of India by tracking the phone calls of the abductors.

“We coordinated with the Indian police and continued the search. The abductors finally left the boy

in a hotel and fled after learning that police had intensified the search and the victim’s family was unable to cough up the ransom,” said SP Bista.

Laxman was found in an unconscious state under the influence of sedatives. He was taken to Rajbiraj on Tuesday morning for a health examination. The boy’s health is gradually improving, said police. During the press meet, Laxman said that he was abducted by two persons and taken to India on a motorcycle with his mouth and hands taped.

“We have safely rescued the victim. We are now looking for the suspects involved in the crime,” said SP Bista.