Plea to Putin over baby mystery

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A family in eastern Germany has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to help them find their child, abducted in a high-profile case in 1984.

Eberhard and Lenore Tschoek's baby Felix, then five months old, was taken from his pram outside a department store in Dresden.

They believe he was swapped by a Soviet military officer for a sick child, found in a box in Dresden days later.

The family made their plea as Mr Putin paid a visit to the German city.

He has now wrapped up his two-day trip and returned to Russia. It is not known whether the case was brought to his attention.

Case reopened

The story was a major media event for months in the then East Germany after Felix's disappearance on 28 December 1984.

His parents left him in his pram as they visited the local department store - a common practice in a country where at the time there were few concerns about such abductions.

We know we can't bring him back to our family, we just want to know what happened to him Lenore Tschoek

Police found no trace of Felix, but did discover a sick one-year-old child in a box that was traced to a Soviet company.

Mrs Tschoek, who was a 24-year-old student in 1984, and Mr Tschoek, then a 28-year-old engineer, always believed a high-ranking Soviet officer made the swap.

Mrs Tschoek said: "After all this time, we know we can't bring him back to our family.

"We just want to know what happened to him, make contact or even invite him to our home. It must happen. There's no other way."

Federal prosecutors in now united Germany have reopened the case and sent investigators to Russia.

The family put up a banner to draw the matter to the attention of the visiting Russian leader this week. It read: "Mr Putin, please help us! Where is our son Felix?"

They believe that Mr Putin, a former KGB agent in Dresden in the 1980s, is better placed than anyone to help them.

As for the sick "swap" baby, he had operation scars and was thought to be seriously ill.

However, he was adopted by an East German family and named Martin, and is said to be healthy and living in Saxony.