Accused child abductor has date set for judicial pretrial

The man accused of abducting a nine-year-old Thessalon boy in the summer will face a judicial pretrial in the spring, with a possible trial to follow.

Manoj Govindbalunikam of Brampton was arrested in August by Sault Ste. Marie OPP and charged with abduction of person under 14 (take or entice). None of the allegations have been tested in court and Govindbalunikam is considered innocent unless proven guilty.

At the time, an officer with East Algoma OPP detachment told SooToday that the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction are "bizarre," but that the boy was ultimately found unharmed.

After an appearance earlier this month in an Elliott Lake courtroom, a judicial pretrial (JPT) was scheduled for Apr. 18 in Sault Ste. Marie. 

A JPT is generally held behind closed doors and includes a judge, defence and the Crown. If the case continues after the JPT, a date for trial will likely be set.

At the time, police said the boy was fishing on Aug. 16 when he was approached by a man driving a yellow Camaro who allegedly offered ice cream and a toy. A bystander who knew the boy's family found it out of place to see him getting into the car and contacted his parents.

The boy was later found unharmed eating an ice cream cone and Govindbalunikam allegedly fled the scene. He was later arrested in Sault Ste. Marie.

Bail conditions placed on Govindbalunikam include a pledge of $10,000 toward his bail, along with $5,000 by his eventual surety. He will be under a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and be prohibited from attending public parks or swimming areas. He was also ordered to surrender his passport to Peel Regional Police. 

Govindbalunikam is also banned from having prohibited weapons and cannot be in a position of trust with a person under 16 years of age. He must also remain away from the municipality of Thessalon except to drive through to attend trial and cannot be in communication with the victim and his family.