The police in Malda district rescued a seven-year-old girl within six hours after she was abducted by two youths on Saturday.

Sources said that around 11am on Saturday, the child who stays in a locality under Harishchandrapur police station limits with her family, was playing in front of her house.

Her father, who collects hair from salons and parlours and supplies it to Rajasthan, was away in Jaipur.

Suddenly, two youths came on a bike and picked up the child. Some residents noticed it and tried to stop the duo, but they managed to move out of the area with the girl.

The girl’s mother immediately informed the police. Soon, a police team reached the spot.

The police started scanning CCTV footage of the area and its surroundings and started gathering information on the movement of the bike. Based on the information, Somnath Saha, the subdivisional police officer (SDPO) of Chanchal formed a special team to trace the girl. The girl’s photo was circulated among police personnel posted at the checkpoints and police sources.

“We came to know that the abductors entered neighbouring North Dinajpur through Kharba in Chanchal. We could track and arrest them," said SDPO Saha.

The adductors were arrested at a checkpoint in Tungidighi under Karandighi police station of North Dinajpur.

The girl, police sources said, was rescued by 5pm, that is, six hours from her abduction.

"All members of our police team put in their best efforts,” said SDPO Saha.

Police officers suspect that the duo who abducted the girl had some business rivalry or dispute with her father and planned to collect ransom from him.

Those arrested are Mansoor Alam and Ezaz Ahmed of Gangnadia in Hasichandrapur police station.

The girl, Saha said, will be handed over to her family under the directive of the court. The arrested duo will be produced in court on Sunday. “We will seek their custody as we need to interrogate them to gather more information,” said the SDPO.