Couple held for kidnapping boy from Malabar hill

A couple was arrested for abducting a toddler from his Malabar Hill residence on Thursday. The accused woman was working as a domestic help with the family, said the police.

A couple was arrested for abducting a toddler from his Malabar Hill residence on Thursday. The accused woman was working as a domestic help with the family, said the police.

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The couple, Sangeeta Singh, 32, and her husband Hari Singh, 40, were arrested from Manmad railway station on Saturday.

The police said the couple planned to take one-and-a-half-year-old Vihan to Delhi from where they were to contact his grandparents — with whom Vihan was staying — and ask for a ransom of Rs five lakh.

The police said around a fortnight ago, Yatin Shah, 60, Vihan’s grandfather had gone to New York to meet his daughter and Vihan’s mother, Meenati. While returning, he brought Vihan back with him. On Thursday, Sangeeta, who has been working at Shah’s residence for the last two months, took the child under the pretext of a walk, the police said.

When she did not return Shah lodged a police complaint. The crime branch unit II said Shah had not verified Sangeeta’s background with the police. He did not have Sangeeta’s photograph or residential address either.

“Fortunately, the CCTV cameras installed at the building’s entrance helped the police identify her and a photograph was circulated around the state. The police tracked her down with the help of her mobile phone number,” said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime).

Sangeeta had attempted to abduct Shah’s other grandson around eight days before Vihan’s abduction but Shah spotted her. When he questioned Sangeeta, she said she was taking the child for a walk.