New Delhi: A thief stole a car with two children inside in Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar area and later demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from their parents, media reported.

The incident occurred on Friday at around 11: 40 pm when the parents left their two children, aged two and eleven, in the car with the engine running and AC on while they went to Heera Sweets located nearby.

When the couple returned, the vehicle and the children were missing.

In a matter of a few minutes, the thief managed to open the door of the car and drove away with the children inside.

He called the parents using the phone of the children's mother which was apparently inside the car.

Later, the couple approached the police and filed a complaint.

Upon receiving the report, the police formed a rescue team that started chasing the car with the help of technical surveillance.

After a three-hour high-speed chase with around 20 police vehicles in action, the kidnapper abandoned the car with the children inside and fled. Fortunately, both children were found safe and were quickly reunited with their parents.

"The kidnappers were constantly changing their route. He reached Wazirabad via Ashok Nagar and then the Outer North district. He realised that the police were chasing him, which is why he kept changing routes," Additional DCP East, Avnish Kumar was quoted as saying by India Today.

"The accused also had a hammer and a knife," the additional DCP said.

Jewellery and mobile phones inside the car were also intact as the kidnapper hurried out after realising that he was being surrounded from all sides.

The police are using the CCTV footage of the area to nab the culprit and assured that he would be arrested soon.