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A seven-year-old boy has been rescued from captivity after a kidnapping in Russia, reports Interpol.
The boy had been missing since September 28, after he failed to return from school.
ARRESTED: Dmitry Kopylov in the police arrest photo. Photo: Police
He disappeared somewhere 200 meters between the school bus stop and his home in Gorky, in the Vladimir region, about 200 km east of Moscow.
On November 10, US authorities managed to find a potential link between a Darknet user and the kidnapping in Russia.
Darknet is a private virtual file sharing network where users only connect with people they have approved.
One man, who is said to have thought he was completely anonymous online, bragged about holding a child captive.
US authorities alerted Russian authorities and a search for the Darknet user was underway.
Tracked online
By making sure the boy was alive, Interpol and Russian special forces were able to locate the Darknet user.
According to Insider, he has been identified as the alleged pedophile Dmitry Kopylov (26), who previously kidnapped a woman.
The video, which you can view above, shows heavily armed Russian special forces entering Kopylov’s basement in Makarikha using a cutting torch and a mallet.
When they entered the basement, the boy had been held captive for 52 days in what resembles a bunker.
In the photos and videos now circulating online, a staircase leading to the “bunker” is seen.
STAY HIDDEN: Special forces had to go down this ladder to find the boy. Photo: Interpol
In the concrete basement there is a single bed and a heater where the child should have slept.
BUNKER: The seven-year-old must have had to sleep in this bed in the basement. Photo: Interpol
I never lost hope
The boy’s father encourages the state channel REN TV:
– We always thought we would find it. He was very happy to see his mother. He hugged her and kissed her. We are overwhelmed by emotions. It is an explosion of excitement and relief that this is over. They’ve finally found it, he says.
TAKT: Dmitry Kopylov handcuffed during arrest. Photo: Interpol
Waiting to be found
– Today, a boy has returned to the place where he belongs, along with his family, says Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock in the press release.
Y:
– Although we are very happy that this story had a happy ending, there are many children waiting to be saved. Success stories like this only renew Interpol’s commitment to connecting member states to protect children from abusers.
ACTION: Russian special forces enter through the perpetrator’s window. Photo: Interpol
A miracle
The Ombudsman for Children of the Vladimir region, Gennady Prokhorichev, calls it a “miracle”.
– Thank God this became a story with a happy ending, he says.
He believes the abduction demonstrates how important it is for parents to follow their children to and from the school bus.
– This is a lesson for everyone, he concludes.
