After eloping, jail, interfaith marriage, Mumbai couple gets child’s custody, calls it ‘Ramzan gift’

Mumbai city news: The child is down with fever and has rashes all over his body, said the mother

The Mumbai couple, which eloped, faced police and reunited after an interfaith marriage, finally got the custody of their six-month-old love child.

The mother with the child. (HT)

Chand Shaikh, 23, met Puja Dube, 18, who lived in the same building, in 2013. As her family was against the match, the couple eloped in 2016.

The family of the girl, who was then 17, filed a case of kidnapping against Shaikh. Shaikh was arrested and the girl was rescued.

The police later learned she was four months pregnant, after which they pressed additional charges of rape under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against Shaikh, said Anjali Patil, Shaikh’s lawyer.

They got married in May.

Shaikh was in Thane central jail for four months, after which Puja managed to get him released. The police sent the child, Sameer, in the custody of the child welfare committee in Ulhasnagar.

The couple has finally got their son’s custody on Tuesday. “I gave an application to the CWC on Tuesday for Sameer’s custody. They sanctioned it immediately. But my son is down with fever and has rashes all over his body,” said Puja. “Getting my son back that too in Ramzan makes it extra special,” said Shaikh.