Mumbai: Azad Maidan Police have arrested a couple for kidnapping a two-month-old infant from the footpath in South Mumbai. Police have also rescued the baby-girl and handed over her custody to her legal parents.
The accused have been identified as Mohammad Hanif Memon (46) and his wife Afreen Memon. The police inquiry revealed that the accused wanted to sell the infant.
The newborn, her two sisters, and their mother, according to the authorities, resided on a footpath outside a public restroom close to St. Xavier's High School in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus neighbourhood. Tuesday night, a man snatched up the infant who was sleeping and left.
According to a police official, "On Wednesday morning, after realising that her daughter was missing, her mother spoke with neighbours in the area before going to the Azad Maidan police station and filing a report."Following the filing of an abduction case, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch and other divisions were dispatched to find the baby.
CCTV footage helps police catch the culprits
Police officers looked at CCTV footage from the area as they started their inquiry and noticed someone picking up the baby and leaving. "We tracked the suspect to the Antop Hill neighbourhood in Wadala using CCTV footage. The suspect was found in his home when we later obtained his address with the aid of local informants," according to a police official involved in the inquiry.
Mohamed Hanif was taken into custody by the police as the suspect. Hanif is said to have admitted to the crime when being questioned, leading to his arrest. When the infant was saved, her relatives received her.
According to the authorities, Afreen, Hanif's wife, was later detained once her involvement was made public.The fact that they intended to sell her has come to our attention. An officer claimed, "They were going to remove her out of Mumbai, but prompt action allowed us to save the baby."
