Accident leads to rescue of ‘kidnapped’ children in Dharwad; accused had a POCSO case against him in 2018

An accident at Joida in Uttara Kannada district on Monday (January 12, 2026) night helped in the miraculous rescue of two children who were allegedly kidnapped by a motorcyclist from a government school in Dharwad.

The two children, Tanveer Dodmani and Lakshmi Kariyappanavar, were picked up on January 12 by the motorcyclist — later identified as Karm Mestri — from their school at Kamalapur in Dharwad during their lunch break, on the pretext of taking them to Ulavi Jatre (fair).

Their disappearance from the school came to light in the evening, leading to panic among the public. The police launched a manhunt for the motorcyclist who was caught leaving the premises with the two kids in the CCTV of a shop near the school.

When the residents of Joida in the neighbouring Uttara Kannada district alerted the police about an accident involving a motorcyclist and two kids, they did not realise that their intervention had actually resulted in the children’s rescue. It was only after the police reached the spot that the link to the kidnapping in Dharwad became clear.

While the accused suffered injuries on his head and limbs, the children suffered minor injuries. They were initially treated at Joida taluk hospital and later brought back to Dharwad and treated at the district hospital before being reunited with their parents.

On Tuesday (January 13, 2026), Hubballi Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar visited district hospital in Dharwad and consoled the parents.

Mr. Shashikumar said the accused Karim Mestri (50), now being treated at KMCRI Hospital in Hubballi, had issued incoherent statements about taking the children with him. “He is a construction worker and said he loved children and had taken them to get them snacks. He also spoke of buying chocolates for them. But taking unknown children with him raises suspicion about his motive.”

“Preliminary investigation has revealed that a POCSO case was registered against him in 2018 for taking a child into a forest, in which he had, subsequently, escaped too. And he is named in the history sheet of Haliyal Police Station. After his discharge from the hospital further interrogation will be conducted,’ he added.

Clarifying that the parents of the children were not related to the accused, he said that fortunately, the children had returned safely. The Police Commissioner also said that in the presence of the parents and the police, the medical examination of the children was carried out and that the kids had suffered minor injuries.