Child Kidnapping Foiled in Thane: Bhandup Police Apprehend Four Suspects, Including Teenage Acquaintance

Thane, 26th March 2024: In a swift response to the report of a five-year-old’s kidnapping, the Bhandup police accomplished a remarkable feat within a mere 12 hours, rescuing the child and apprehending four suspects, including a teenage acquaintance of the minor.

The ordeal began when the child ventured out of her home around 9:30 pm on Sunday to purchase water balloons for the upcoming Holi festivities. Concern grew exponentially when she failed to return home after an hour, prompting her frantic parents to scour the neighborhood in search of her whereabouts. Their anxiety intensified when a local resident informed them that he had witnessed their daughter entering an auto-rickshaw accompanied by a young woman named Khushbu Gupta, also known as Khushi, aged 19, along with two other unidentified women, as recounted by a police official.

Promptly reporting the incident to the Bhandup police, a case was swiftly registered, with Khushi emerging as the primary focus of the investigation. Utilizing technological resources, authorities tracked Khushi’s location through her phone number, leading to her prompt apprehension. Subsequently, during interrogation, the teenage suspect disclosed her collaboration with a certain Maina Dilod, aged 39, in orchestrating the abduction.

It was revealed that the perpetrators lured the child with a chocolate, exploiting her familiarity with Khushi, thereby facilitating her compliance. The motive behind the kidnapping surfaced when the suspects divulged their intention to sell the child to two individuals identified as Divya Singh, aged 33, and Payal Shah, aged 32, both residents of Balkum Pada in Thane, as detailed by the official.

The quartet was swiftly brought before the court on Monday, where they were remanded to police custody until March 28. They face charges under sections 363 (kidnapping), 370 (trafficking), and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code, highlighting the gravity of their reprehensible actions.