A college assistant professor, her daughter, and brother have been arrested in connection with the alleged abduction of a five-year-old girl from a footpath in the Dum Dum area of Kolkata, police said.

The child, who lived on the street with her family, was rescued from a house in the city’s Kasba locality on Monday morning, officials said.

The incident was first reported last Wednesday (September 17), when the child’s family filed a missing complaint at the Sinthi police station. An investigation was launched, and an examination of CCTV footage from the area showed a woman taking the child away. The alleged abductor was identified as Anushka Chanda Chowdhury, 20, daughter of Arunima Chanda, 52, an assistant professor at a Kolkata college.

Eyewitnesses too claimed it was Anushka who picked the minor from a sidewalk.

Following a detailed search, the investigators rescued the child and arrested Arunima Chanda, Anushka Chanda Chowdhury, and Arunima’s brother Anupav Chanda Chowdhury for allegedly conspiring to abduct the child.

“The motive behind the abduction is not clear yet — whether they wanted to keep the child with them or had some other plans,” an official said.

Further investigation into the incident is on to determine the circumstances and motive of the kidnapping, he added.