Rohtas police on Wednesday rescued a minor from Hazaribagh within 24 hours of his abduction and nabbed the mastermind of the crime.

Six-year-old Aditya, a student of Gems English School at Dehri-on-Sone, was allegedly kidnapped by a family friend on Tuesday. The acquaintance, Manish, handed over the kid to four Hazaribagh-based criminals after his car developed some snags near Sherghati in Gaya.

The four criminals dumped Aditya near Coal Ghati in Hazaribagh apprehending him to be dead. But a middle-aged woman rescued the boy and informed the Hazaribagh Sadar police, which rushed to the spot and recovered the child.

Aditya is the son of road construction department contractor Arun Kumar Singh. Manish had used Arun’s car to kidnap the child.

Rohtas superintendent of police Vikas Barman said a team was constituted after Arun informed the Dehri police station on Tuesday apprehending Aditya’s kidnap by Manish, who frequented his place.

Manish was produced before the Dehri-on-Sone chief judicial magistrate, who remanded him in judicial custody for two weeks. His four associates are still at large.