5-year-old kidnapped from Mumbai, sold for ₹1.8 lakh; aunt, uncle among five arrested

Around 12:30 pm on Saturday, the child’s mother approached the Vakola police, reporting that her daughter had been kidnapped.

MUMBAI: The police have arrested five people, including the 5-year-old victim’s maternal uncle and aunt, for allegedly kidnapping the young girl from Santacruz East and selling her in Panvel for ₹1.8 lakh.

Aunt, uncle, 3 others held for kidnapping and selling 5-yr-old girl(Representative image/PTI)

Around 12:30 pm on Saturday, the child’s mother approached the Vakola police, reporting that her daughter had been kidnapped. Based on her complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Given the seriousness of the offence, seven police teams under Zone 8’s crime detection officer were formed. For two days, the police scanned CCTV footage of the area, and followed confidential tip-offs, before eventually identifying a suspicious autorickshaw and its driver, who was traced despite the vehicle number being unknown.

Investigations revealed that the autorickshaw had come from Panvel, and CCTV footage and eye-witnesses noted a couple travelling with the girl on Saturday. “We received information that a motorcyclist and two other suspects were also patrolling the area along with the couple who kidnapped the girl,” said an officer from the Vakola police station.

Since the auto rickshaw number was unavailable, police found it challenging to track it down. However, based on tip-offs, the police located and arrested the driver in Vakola on Monday. His interrogation revealed that the child was familiar with her kidnappers since they were her maternal uncle, Lawrence Nickles Fernandes 42, and aunt, Mangal Dagdu Jadhav, 38. The duo were then arrested on Tuesday from Vitthalwadi and confessed to selling the girl to Karan Sanas for ₹90,000.

Sanas was then arrested from Urali Budruk in New Panvel. Further investigation revealed that he had resold the girl to Vrinda Vinesh Chavan, 60, and Anjali Ajit Korgaonkar, 57, for ₹1.80 lakh. The police then traced the women, rescued the girl from Chavan’s home in Panvel and reunited her with her mother on Tuesday.

“We have arrested all those involved in the kidnapping and selling of the girl,” said the officer.