40-year-old woman arrested for kidnapping 3-year-old girl in Worli

A 40-year-old woman was arrested in Worli for allegedly kidnapping a 3-year-old girl lured with chocolates; police rescued the child after a search.

MUMBAI: A 40-year-old woman was arrested by the Worli police for allegedly kidnapping a three-year-old girl who had gone missing while playing outside her home on Wednesday afternoon in the Prem Nagar area of Worli.

40-year-old woman arrested for kidnapping 3-year-old girl in Worli

According to the police, they launched an immediate search operation upon receiving the complaint and, with the help of local residents and CCTV footage, successfully traced the woman and rescued the child.

The incident came to light when Poonam Gupta, 32, a resident of Prem Nagar, was informed by her neighbour, Maynoor Khan, that her three-year-old daughter had been lured away by a woman offering chocolates. Concerned for the child’s safety, Gupta, along with local residents, began searching the area, covering Prem Nagar, Worli Sea Face, Madraswadi, and Worli Naka. When their search yielded no results, she approached the Worli police station, where a case of kidnapping was registered at around 5:30 pm.

Upon investigation, police discovered that the child had been abducted by a woman. A team led by senior police inspector Ravindra Katkar, comprising around 25 police personnel and volunteers, launched a combing operation to locate the suspect.

“During the search, residents recalled that a CCTV was installed at a grocery store in Prem Nagar. Upon reviewing the footage, they spotted the woman carrying the child. The footage and still images were immediately circulated in WhatsApp groups of locals and the Mohalla Committee,” said Katkar.

With this lead, the search intensified. “In the densely populated locality, we searched numerous houses and eventually found the woman with the girl inside a room,” added Katkar.

The accused has been identified as Deepali Bablu Das, 40, originally from West Bengal and employed as a nurse. When questioned about her motives, Das reportedly gave inconsistent answers, claiming that the child resembled a relative’s daughter and that she had mistakenly taken her home.

“She stated that she simply wanted to talk to the child and, believing she knew her, brought her home,” said Katkar.

The Worli police have booked Das under charges of kidnapping, and further investigations are underway.