Overview

• Police say a helmeted assailant sprayed chilli powder at the father outside their Gudiyatham home before snatching the child and fleeing in a white car captured on CCTV.
• The boy was located within about two to three hours near Devikapuram in the Madhanur area close to Ambur after pedestrians alerted authorities.
• Six special teams were formed and border check-posts were alerted, leading to intensified checks on vehicles across routes from Vellore.
• One suspect, identified as S. Balaji, was arrested during a police operation, while an alleged accomplice known as Vicky escaped in Krishnagiri.
• Investigators recovered a chilli-powder packet at the scene, are examining CCTV trails, and are tracing the car’s registration number that police believe is fake.