HC grants bail to man arrested for his involvement in child trafficking case

Bombay High Court grants bail to Samadhan Jagtap in child trafficking case due to lack of direct evidence linking him to the kidnapping incident.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court, on Monday, granted bail for Samadhan Kewalrao Jagtap, arrested for his alleged involvement in a child trafficking case.

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The incident occurred in September 2023 when a two-year-old girl went missing from her family’s custody in Malad (East), Mumbai. She was later found at Dadar railway station by Sujata Dabade, a lady police constable attached to Dadar Railway station. The subsequent investigation revealed allegations of child trafficking, with Jagtap and his co-accused, Irfan Khan, implicated in the crime.

During the court proceedings, the prosecution presented evidence, including transcripts of WhatsApp conversations between Jagtap and Khan, suggesting their involvement in child trafficking activities. However, the court observed that this evidence did not directly implicate Jagtap in the kidnapping of the child. Furthermore, a witness statement alleging Jagtap’s involvement in facilitating the sale of children to childless couples was deemed insufficient to establish his connection to the specific incident.

The police linked Irfan Khan to the child after he was found with the child at Dadar station and claimed to have found her wandering on the railway platform. This raised suspicion, leading to further investigation into the involvement of both Jagtap and Irfan Khan in child trafficking. The court considered the completion of the investigation and the filing of the charge sheet before granting bail.

Justice NJ Jamadar, presiding over the case, approved Jagtap’s bail on the condition of a personal recognizance bond of ₹30,000 and adherence to standard bail conditions, including non-tampering with prosecution evidence.