Kidnapped India-origin boy back home safe in Malaysia

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Twelve-year-old Indian-origin Nayati Moodliar, who was abducted earlier while walking down to his neighbourhood school here, was on Thursday rescued by a Malaysian police task force from an undisclosed location.

City police chief Mohmad Salleh confirmed that Nayati has been found and reunited with family but declined to elaborate.

It is understood that police are in the midst of tracking down Nayati's kidnappers.

A dedicated Facebook page set up to find Nayati said: "To all our family/friends/supporters of Nayati. We have got NAYATI back!!! He is back to our arms again! Thank you all for your support! We will post soon! Thank you - Moodliar Family".

Nayati's father Sham Moodliar is an Indian from South Africa while his mother is Caucasian and the child holds Dutch and South African nationality.

Nayati was abducted on Friday morning on his way to the Mont Kiara International School near his house.

Witnesses saw two men grab Nayati into a waiting car. The child's abduction led to global outpouring of concern and shocked everyone here. His family and friends made use of social media like Facebook to appeal for the child's release.

His father, Sham Moodliar, 41, had appealed to the kidnappers to return his son to him. Even Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak made an impassioned plea to the abductors to release the boy.

"We are delighted to tell you that Nayati is back home with us and although it has obviously been a very traumatic time for him, he appears at this stage to be in good shape. We cannot begin to say how proud we are of him and the way that he has coped with the events of the past week," the New Straits Times quoted a family spokesman as saying.

The family has said it will not reveal any details of the kidnapping as police probe was still on.