Digital Desk, Ranchi. Brother and sister Ansh and Anshika, who went missing on January 2 from Dhurwa area of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, have finally been recovered safely today. The children were rescued from Ahmednagar (hill) area of Chitarpur in Ramgarh district, where a couple was hiding them. Police have arrested two accused, who are residents of Aurangabad, Bihar and are said to be associated with the Bulguliya gang of child lifters. The children have been rushed to Ranchi, where their family was waiting. In this case, the hard work of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the police bore fruit, but the information of Bajrang Dal workers played a decisive role.
This case raises questions on the safety of children and the activity of kidnapping gangs. According to the police, the accused couple was planning to take the children to Bihar and sell them, but due to fear of the police, they hid in Ramgarh. The investigation into the case is ongoing, and Jharkhand DGP Tadasha Mishra is expected to share more details in a press conference today. Below is a clear timeline of the entire case, based on available facts:
Timeline: What happened in the kidnapping case?
- 2 January 2026 (Friday): Ansh (about 5 years) and Anshika (about 4 years) had left home at around 3 pm from Dhurva's aunt Bari Khatal area, where they were going to buy biscuits. They did not return. The family and neighbors searched, but no trace was found.
- January 3, 2026 (Saturday): The family lodged a complaint of missing children at Dhurva police station. The police immediately started the search, but did not get any success in the initial days.
- 4-5 January 2026 (about 10 days ago): A young man (about 25 years) and a girl (about 19 years), residents of Aurangabad, Bihar, rented a room in an asbestos-laden house of a woman named Roshan Ara in Ahmednagar (Hill), Chitarpur, Ramgarh district. The rent was fixed at Rs 1000 per month. He considered himself his husband, wife and children. Landlady Roshan Ara told the police that due to cold, she gave the room out of humanity after seeing the Aadhar card. The accused couple had earlier roamed around selling balloons in and around Shalimar market of Dhurwa, from where they stole the children.
- 3-13 January 2026 (days of search): Ranchi Police formed a 40-member SIT under the supervision of SSP Rakesh Ranjan. More than 5,000 mobile numbers were checked and more than 2,000 CCTV footages were scrutinised. The poster campaign was conducted with the help of Destination Care Foundation NGO. On January 13, a reward of Rs 4 lakh was announced for anyone finding the children. During this period, political parties (like BJP) and social organizations demonstrated and observed a bandh in Dhurva. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took cognizance of the matter and sought a report. Meanwhile, the accused couple was keeping the children hidden in Chitarpur because they could not go to Bihar due to fear of police.
- January 3, 2026 (Tuesday evening): After the news of missing children went viral on social media, Bajrang Dal workers Sachin, W Sahu, Sunil Kumar, Anshu etc. started searching in the surrounding areas.
- 14 January 2026 (Wednesday morning, till around 1:02 PM): Bajrang Dal workers received information about the presence of children from Ahmednagar in Chitarpur. He reached the spot and recovered the children and informed Ramgarh police. Rajrappa police station arrested the couple and took the children into custody. The children were first taken to Ramgarh SP residence, then taken to Ranchi. Ramgarh SP Ajay Kumar, SDPO Parmeshwar Prasad, Ramgarh police station in-charge Naveen Prakash Pandey, Rajrappa police station in-charge Krishna Kumar visited the spot. During interrogation, the accused couple confessed to the crime. According to the police, the accused were preparing to take the children to Aurangabad in Bihar and sell them. After the recovery of the children, a crowd gathered in the area.
Police say that the accused are members of the Bulguliya gang, who lead a nomadic life and are involved in child theft. The investigation is to find out how the couple reached here and what was their intention. The health of the children is fine, and the process of handing them over to their families has started. This case has sparked a debate on the safety of children in Ranchi. Police press conference is awaited for more information.