Ranchi | The two siblings, who went missing from Ranchi's Dhurwa area 12 days ago, were freed from kidnappers in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district on Wednesday, police said.

A police team was sent from Ranchi to Ramgarh to bring back the children, aged 4 and 5, who went missing after going to a grocery store near their house on January 2.

SP (Ranchi- Rural) Praveen Pushkar told PTI that both the missing children were traced to Chitarpur in Ramgarh district.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the two siblings were freed from the "clutches of the kidnappers today".

"How can someone stoop so low? Personally, the last few days have been quite distressing for me. Initially, there was no success, but the way the Ranchi Police connected the threads of a similar incident in another state and reached the criminals to secure the children's release is commendable," he said in a post on X.

Soren said the investigation will not end with the rescue of the two children.

"We will make efforts to break the backs of criminal gangs after conducting a thorough investigation into such crimes in the state, and outside the state. Heartiest congratulations to the team of @ranchipolice and @JharkhandPolice for their promptness and efficiency. And heartfelt best wishes to the families of our children -- Ansh and Anshika," he added.

The police had formed a special investigation team, comprising 40 personnel, to trace the two children.

It was not immediately clear if any arrests were made in connection with the case.

The disappearance of the two children had led to massive protests in the state capital, with the BJP questioning the law and order situation under the Soren-led government.