Navi Mumbai Horror: Man Arrested for Killing 3-Year-Old, Hiding Body in Family’s Home

Navi Mumbai, 29th March 2025: A 29-year-old man was taken into custody on Thursday for allegedly killing a three-year-old girl and concealing her body inside a bag at her home in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja while her family was outside searching for her.

The child had gone missing two days earlier while playing near her house, prompting the registration of a kidnapping case.

On Wednesday, the family discovered her body inside a rexine bag placed in their home.

Authorities identified the suspect as Mohammed Ansari, a neighbor of the victim’s family originally from Jharkhand. According to police, Ansari, a father of three, allegedly committed the crime due to frequent disputes between his wife and the girl’s mother. Additionally, he had suffered financial losses in online gaming and had intended to extort money from the girl’s father after her murder.

Following the child’s disappearance, multiple police teams, including crime branch officers, were deployed to track down the abductor.

On Wednesday night, the girl’s family noticed a strong foul odor inside their home. Upon investigating, they found a bag on the bathroom loft and were horrified to discover the child’s body inside.

After receiving information that the body was inside the house, Taloja police intensified their probe. “The victim was found hidden in a rexine bag placed in the washroom loft. We subsequently added murder charges to the case and continued our investigation,” said DCP Prashant Mohite.

Investigations revealed that Ansari had strangled the child using a shoelace. He was arrested after authorities confirmed that the bag in which the body was found belonged to him.

Police further stated that Ansari’s wife had frequent arguments with the victim’s mother over their children playing together in the residential compound.

Ansari allegedly lost ₹42,000 in an online game and, in an attempt to recover the money, planned to kill the child and demand ransom from her father after disposing of the body. However, when he was unable to dispose of it, he hid it inside the girl’s house while the family was out searching for her, police said.

“We have arrested Ansari on charges of murder and will present him in court tomorrow,” stated Senior Inspector Pravin Bhagat of Taloja police station.