A photo tweeted by Indian Police Service officer Swati Lakra of a policeman and an infant smiling at each other ear to ear has caught the fancy of social media users.

The photo features Sanjay Kumar, the station house officer of Hyderabad’s Nampally police station, holding a four-month-old boy child. It has been went viral.

The boy was abducted from his mother’s side as both slept on a footpath in front of Himmathram Jewellers near Dargah Yousafain. Twenty-one-year-old Humera Begum lodged a complaint with the police as soon as she realised that her child Faizan Khan was missing, reported the Times of India.

After tracking the CCTV footage near the location, Nampally police managed to rescue Faizan in less than 15 hours and also nab the offenders - Md Mustaq, 42, and his friend, Md Yousuf, 25.

Mustaq, an autorickshaw driver, confessed to the police that his friend from Rehmatnagar, Md Ghouse, sought his help in adopting a child. Mustaq told Yousuf, a cook from Habeebnagar, about Ghouse’s request and Yousuf came up with a plan to kidnap Humera’s son.

“They planned to sell the child to Ghouse,” Kumar told the newspaper.

But Ghouse refused to accept the child as he was not accompanied by his parents. Mustaq then took the child to his house but the police were quick to track them and rescue the boy.

Social media showered praises on the work done by the Nampally police department, some saying “India needs officers like Sanjay Kumar”. Also former cricketer VVS Laxman joined in to congratulate the department.