Toddler abducted while sleeping with parents, raped; culprit at large

Child, found in critical condition, to undergo surgery at KGMU

- HT Correspondent

LUCKNOW: A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped near the Alambagh Metro station in Lucknow, one of the busiest zones due to the presence of the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT). The victim, daughter of pavement dwellers from Unnao, was picked up while she was sleeping next to her father and mother on the roadside early Thursday morning, police said. The accused is still absconding, and police teams have been formed to trace him.

The child was found in a severely injured state, abandoned around 500 metres from the spot. Her cries were heard by a differently-abled man, who alerted her ragpicker parents. They were already searching for her after discovering her missing around 4 am.

Notably, this incident occurred close to the site where a woman from Ayodhya was abducted and later murdered after a failed sexual assault attempt by an e-rickshaw driver and his brother earlier in March. That case had also raised concerns about women's safety in the city.