The girl, whose mother has passed away and father is in the hospital, was reported missing by her seven-year-old brother. The police found her with a footpath dweller begging near Mumbai Central
Mumbai 'super' cops trace kidnapped 5-year-old girl in 12 hours flat
Vaishnavi with her brother Dinesh after being traced
A five-year-old girl, kidnapped from a footpath in South Mumbai, was rescued by the Azad Maidan police within 12 hours. The girl, whose mother had passed away a couple of years ago, was coming to see her father, admitted in GT Hospital, everyday when she was picked up. A search was launched after her seven-year-old brother had returned from school and found her missing.
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Dinesh Kate (7) and his sister Vaishnavi (5) live on the footpath near GT Hospital. Their father, a cook, had been diagnosed with TB a few days ago and admitted there.
What happened
On December 31, Dinesh, studying in Lord Haris BMC school, returned to their dwelling around 11 am and found Vaishnavi missing. When he went to the hospital, he was told that their father had been shifted to the ICU; there was still no sign of the girl. He again searched the area, and finally went to his school and told the caretaker, Sunil Ghadge, about it. Ghadge took Dinesh to Azad Maidan police station in the evening, where a case of kidnapping was registered. Senior inspector Vijay Kadam formed a team under sub-inspector Mahesh Lamkhde to trace Vaishnavi.
Gathering clues
During investigation, the police came to know of one Sitadevi Shahane (42), who was missing from the footpath of Metro Junction, where she used to stay. They detained her husband, who told the police that they have a shanty in Khopoli, and that his wife could be there. A team was sent there but Sitadevi was not there.
“We then found out that her daughter Pinky lives on the footpath near Mumbai Central station. Our team reached there and found Vaishnavi in her arms,” said an officer.
The police took custody of Vaishnavi and arrested Pinky and Sitadevi. “They have been arrested under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping) and 34 (common intention) and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2016, and the Maharashtra State Begging Prohibition Act,” he added. Both were produced in court and sent to two-day police custody.
Main accused Sitadevi Shahane’s daughter Pinky, who was also arrested after the five-year-old was found with her
Of racket and reunion
The police said Sitadevi had reportedly sold her son a few years ago. “We found Pinky begging with Vaishnavi. It could be a racket, we need to probe further,” said one officer.
Dinesh, who was called to the police station after Vaishnavi was traced, said he was relieved to have seen his sister and added that he was thankful to the police for finding her so quickly.
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