Bengaluru: A seven-month-old boy was kidnapped early Sunday from the pavement outside Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute in Shivajinagar, moments after his mother breastfed him.The infant’s mother, Kamakshi Muniyappan, a 23-year-old street vendor from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, woke up at 3.30am to find her baby being taken away. She shouted for help and, along with her mother, tried to stop the kidnappers. But the miscreants shoved them aside, jumped into an autorickshaw and sped away. Kamatchi ran behind the auto, crying out for her son, but the vehicle disappeared. “She tried her best to save him, but they pushed her to the road,” said a relative.Kamakshi married Deva two years ago and the boy was their only child. The family made a living selling balloons, toys and wigs at fairs and festivals. Kamakshi, along with Deva, her mother and her sister, was selling toys on the footpath around St Mary’s Basilica Church on the eve of the annual festival. They were staying with Kamakshi’s brother, Jeeva, in Hennur.The family told police that after selling toys on the night of Aug 30, they missed the last bus to Hennur. So, they decided to sleep on the pavement of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute. Kamakshi woke up at 3.30am, breastfed her son and again fell asleep. Suddenly, she felt someone taking her baby away without making noise. She alerted her mother, who was sleeping on the other side, and both of them tried to stop the miscreants in vain.The family rushed to Commercial Street police station; a senior officer said a message was circulated to night-patrolling police to stop any suspicious autorickshaw. However, their efforts didn’t bear fruit. He is our only son. We hope the kidnappers haven’t caused any harm to him. My wife couldn’t see how many people were in the autorickshawDeva | Boy’s Father
