The Kalwa police in Thane have arrested a 25-year-old woman, an auto-rickshaw driver and rescued a 3-year-old boy who was kidnapped by her. The police suspect the woman was about to force the child into begging and was into child trafficking. The police are further investigating the case.
The police said the complainant Bharat Lal Patva, 38, a resident of Pramila Co-operative Housing Society in Kalwa. Patva, who has a business of rakhi making, informed the police that his son Om Patva, 3, was playing in the building compound and was kidnapped by some unknown person. Accordingly, a case of kidnapping was registered under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code.
The police said with no clues the Kalwa police started the investigation to trace the minor boy. CCTV footage from different societies, buildings and shops from the spot to Kharegaon entry point were scrutinized.
"With the help of the footage we found the child was kidnapped by a woman in an auto-rickshaw. The detection staff further checked the footage and found that the number of the autorickshaw MH 05 AQ 0120. With the help of the autorickshaw details the team reached Titwala and arrested the woman and rescued the child," said a police officer from Kalwa police station.
The police said the arrested woman has been identified as Noorjahan Shabbir Shaikh, 25. Shaikh is an auto-rickshaw driver who drives the auto of an owner on a daily basis.
"We have arrested the woman within 12 hours after the kidnapping and rescued the child. Om who is reunited with his family. The accused woman will be produced in court on Friday," Manohar Awhad, senior police inspector, Kalwa police station.
The police during investigation suspect the child was kidnapped to force him into child trafficking and begging. "The woman alleged she used to stay in Kalwa for 10 years and recently shifted to Titwala. She was aware of the Kalwa area. So she drove the auto-rickshaw to Kalwa. She found the child playing in the building compound and taking a chance she kidnapped him in the auto-rickshaw and fled away," added a police officer.
