Malvani Police rescued a toddler who was kidnapped on Wednesday evening by a woman, who the complainant barely knew. The accused woman, Sapna, 24, was arrested from Thane-Ghodbunder Road based on technical evidence. Police said that Sapna planned to take the child with her to her hometown in Odisha and show that she was the mother. She has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for kidnapping.
Sapna, who works as a housekeeper and stays with her employers, used to visit the complainant's husband at his tailoring shop to stitch garments. On Tuesday afternoon, she approached the toddler's father and said that her employer tortures her, which is why she wants to quit the job. She, however, requested the man to allow her to stay for a day till she could arrange for another accommodation. The man reluctantly said that he needs to ask his wife and cannot give her any shelter right away. Sapna then went to Pooja Rathod, the complainant, begging her to give her shelter for a day, to which the former agreed.
Rathod, a Malvani resident, stays with her husband, two children and her mother-in-law, gave a spare room to Sapna for a day and she seemed alright, judging by her behaviour. On Wednesday evening, Sapna took Pooja's toddler daughter for a round and never returned. Fearing about her daughter's safety, Rathod approached Malvani Police at 8.30pm and lodged a case of kidnapping.
Police began the investigation and inquired with Sapna's employers, who claimed that Sapna used to search ways online to get pregnant. A further probe revealed that Sapna had arrived in Mumbai two years ago while she was pregnant and began working at a Malad-based actor's house. Sapna, however, suffered a miscarriage, but told her relatives that she had delivered a healthy baby girl. Her husband, who stays in Odisha, however, threatened to disown her if she returns without his baby.
Sapna then hatched a plan to kidnap a girl matching the age of what her child would be and targeted the victim. Based on technical evidence, police learned that Sapna was roaming in Thane-Ghodbunder area and dispatched a team there, following which Sapna was arrested and the toddler was rescued. "During the probe, Sapna said that she used to call people asking for work and a place to stay, on the basis of which she was traced. We had laid a trap till Bhubaneshwar and had checked all long distance trains at Kalyan and Kasara leaving for Odissa," said police inspector Arjun Rajane of Malvani police station.
