Overview

• The child, aged about three to four, was found abandoned on the Madhanur highway roughly 30 km from Gudiyatham and reunited with family within hours.
• CCTV footage captured a helmeted man seizing the boy and leaving in a white sedan bearing a Karnataka registration number.
• Police say the car’s Karnataka plate appears to be fake, prompting alerts at border check-posts and efforts to trace the vehicle’s movements.
• During the abduction, the assailant allegedly threw red chilli powder into the father’s face; a packet was recovered at the scene.
• Six special teams are pursuing the case, suspects remain at large, and officers are probing motive with professional rivalry noted as an early line of inquiry.