Kidnapped 10-month-old Indian baby in US found murdered

WASHINGTON: A 10-month-old Indian girl, who was kidnapped early this week, was today found dead in the basement of an apartment in a Philadelphia township in the US.

Baby Saanvi Venna was found dead in the basement of the apartment by the police early this morning at about 4:30 (local time) in the King of Prussia, a Philadelphia police official said.

Saanvi was kidnapped and her 61-year-old grandmother Satyavathi Venna was killed by unknown people on Monday. The authorities had announced $50,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the toddler.

"We have arrested a family friend, identified as Raghunanean Yaneadamuri, who was demanding ransom," the official said, adding that there were 10 copies of identical ransom notes demanding $50,000 found near the apartment.

"We have filed charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and theft against Yaneadamuri. What we have learned during the course of investigation is that this individual planned to kidnap Saanvi and was going to hold her for ransom," the official said.

Earlier, Pennsylvania State Police had issued an Amber Child Abduction Alert.

According to District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, the body of Satyavathi, the paternal grandmother of Saanvi, was discovered inside the apartment. She was babysitting the child. The grandmother had arrived in the US from India in July 2012 and was scheduled to return home in January 2013.

The parents of the child Venkata Konda Siva Venna and Chenchu Latha Punuru emigrated from India in February 2007 and have previously lived in San Antonio Texas, Troy Michigan, and Cleveland Ohio. In June this year, they moved to King of Prussia in Pennsylvania.