Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs
- A 7-year-old Russian boy kidnapped for 52 days by a suspected pedophile has been rescued after a US Interpol officer came across a dark web user with a possible link to the abduction.
- Identified as Savely Rogovtsev by The Mirror, the child had been missing since September 28 after failing to return from school.
- Dmitry Kopylov, 26, a suspected pedophile and resident of Makarikha, Vladimir, was arrested and identified by the Daily Mail.
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A 7-year-old Russian boy kidnapped for 52 days by a pedophile suspect has been rescued by Russian special forces after a US Interpol officer came across a dark web user with a possible link to the abduction.
Identified as Savely Rogovtsev by The Mirror, the child had been missing since September 28 after failing to return from school.
He had disappeared somewhere between the bus stop and his home in the village of Gorki in the Vladimir region, according to Interpol.
Russian police were informed that Savely was with his abductor around 14 miles from his home, the Daily Mail reported.
Interpol’s Crimes against Children unit passed their data onto their Russian colleagues and the Russian special forces were then able to track down the suspect, an Interpol press release added.
Dmitry Kopylov, 26, a resident of Makarikha, Vladimir, was arrested and identified by the Daily Mail.
A video released by Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs showed the Russian special forces storm into his house and rescuing the boy from his captivity.
Interpol's Secretary General Jürgen Stock said: "Today, a young boy is back where he belongs – with his family – thanks to dedicated specialist officers and swift action by authorities around the world."
Psychologists have been brought in to help Savely and his family recover from the traumatic experience, the BBC reported.
His father, Alexander Rogovtsev, 47, told REN TV: "We always believed that we would find him. He was very happy to see his mother. He hugged and kissed her.
"We are overwhelmed with feeling. It is an explosion of emotion and relief that the ordeal is over. Finally, he is found."
Mr Rogovtsev added that Savely had been to the doctors and was healthy and had not have lost any weight but did not want to communicate with anyone except him and his mother.
He added: "He is a normal child. He threw himself around our necks, sat on our laps, a happy child."