Chilli Powder Thrown At Techie's Face, His 3-Year-Old Son Kidnapped

Police in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu rescued the three-year-old boy who was kidnapped in broad daylight outside his home in Gudiyatham on Wednesday.

A video accessed by NDTV shows the child's father, Venu, holding his traumatised son inside a police vehicle shortly after the rescue.

Earlier, CCTV visuals -- yet to be independently verified by NDTV -- had captured the chilling moments of the abduction: a man wearing a helmet stepping out of a white car with a Karnataka registration number, walking into the house, and within moments carrying away the child. The father, who had just returned home with his son, an LKG student from school, was seen running after the car and clinging to its door before falling off.

Confirming the rescue, a senior police officer told NDTV, "The accused is at large. We don't know the motive. We are investigating."

Speaking to journalists immediately after the incident, Venu had said, "The man wearing a helmet sprayed chilly powder into my eyes and took away my child. I pulled him, but he managed to escape with my son."

A packet of chilli powder was recovered at the scene, and traces were visible on the father's clothes.

Police sources said the abductors had used a car with a Karnataka number plate, which appears to have been fake. All border check-posts had been alerted, and teams were deployed to track the car's movements.

The abduction, which took place in a residential street in broad daylight, had triggered fear and outrage across Gudiyatham town. With the child now safe, police say efforts are being intensified to trace and arrest the kidnappers.