Five arrested for kidnapping of a 2-year-old girl

The Bharati Vidyapeeth police on Tuesday arrested five individuals in connection with the kidnapping of a 2-year-old girl and uncovered a suspected child trafficking and begging racket operating in the region.

PUNE: The Bharati Vidyapeeth police on Tuesday arrested five individuals in connection with the kidnapping of a 2-year-old girl and have uncovered a suspected child trafficking and begging racket operating in the region.

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The arrested accused Sunil Bhosale, Shankar Pawar, Shalubai Kale, Ganesh Pawar, and Mangal Kale were taken into custody from Dharashiv.

The incident was reported on July 26 at the Wondercity slum area in Katraj. According to the police, the complainant, who has twin daughters, alleged that one of them was abducted by unknown individuals during the night from their home.

During their investigation, police analysed CCTV footage from 140 cameras spanning the Katraj to Pune Station area. This led them to identify the accused, who were reportedly from the Dharashiv district. A police team subsequently travelled to Dharashiv and, with the assistance of local authorities, arrested the accused on Tuesday.

Rahulkumar Khilare, SPI at Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station, stated, “Preliminary investigations suggest that the accused had planned to use the abducted child for begging. However, the investigation is ongoing.”

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Bombay Police Act (BNS) and have been granted police custody until August 2. A formal case has been registered at Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station under section 137(2) of the BNS.