Baby rescued within six hours of abduction in Kalyan, two held

The drummer of a local music band picked up the baby, claiming that the he was crying and the parents were not waking up, the police said

THANE: An eight-month-old boy was rescued within six hours of abduction from Kalyan Railway Station on Tuesday. The drummer of a local band picked up the baby, claiming that the he was crying and the parents were not waking up, the police said.

Baby rescued within six hours of abduction in Kalyan, two held

According to the police, the incident occurred between 4.30 am and 6 am on Tuesday, when the baby was sleeping with his parents and two siblings on the foot overbridge of the Kalyan Railway Station. When the parents woke up, they found the baby was missing and immediately approached the Kalyan Government Railway Police.

“CCTV footage showed that a man picked up the baby while the family was asleep. The video was circulated to all police stations, after which constable Vikas Sonawane from Mahatma Phule Police Station identified the accused as Akshay Khare, 22, a drummer in a local band. Sonawane said Akshay had visited the station on Sunday to register a case against his aunt, Savita Khare, in a family dispute,” said a police officer.

Acting on the lead, police traced the baby to Savita’s house in Kalyan (West) and arrested both the accused, after which the baby was safely reunited with his parents.

During interrogation, Akshay told the police that he picked up the baby since he was crying and the parents were not waking up. He then took the baby to Savita’s house, who urged him to return the child, but he refused, the officer said.

The police said that the couple had come to the city on Sunday with their three children — one five-year-old, one three-year-old, and the baby — in search of work. Failing to find any work or accommodation, they wanted to return to their place in Jalgaon. They slept on the foot over bridge (FOB) of the station on Monday night, after being denied accommodation by their relatives in Badlapur, with a plan to head back the next day.

A case has been registered against Akshay and Savita under Section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Both accused have been detained and will be produced in court on Wednesday, the officer said.