25-day-old baby abducted from Ambernath rescued within four hours; five arrested

Ambernath: Ambernath police rescued a 25-day-old baby within four hours of the alleged abduction and arrested five persons, including four women, for allegedly kidnapping the infant and planning to sell the child in Gujarat. The incident occurred on Oct 10, while the baby’s father, Santosh Ashok Wage, approached the police on Oct 11.According to the police, around 7 pm near Ganpati temple in Swaminagar, Ambernath West, a woman, identified as Parvati Nagarajan, forcibly took the infant and handed the child over to one Ganesh Soni. The family subsequently received information that the child was allegedly being considered for sale.Taking the complaint seriously, Ambernath police formed a team to trace the baby and apprehend Soni and his family members.During the investigation, police learnt that Soni and his family had given the child to Ruksaar Shaikh (32), a resident of Indiranagar in Mumbai’s Dharavi locality. Police obtained her mobile phone number and tracked her movements through technical analysis.The police team subsequently traced Ruksaar while she was travelling by local train and apprehended her at Ambernath railway station. The infant was rescued safely and reunited with the parents, police said.Senior police inspector Sabbir Sayyed of Ambernath police station said Ruksaar had said during the investigation that she intended to hand over the baby to her sister in Gujarat.“Ruksaar Shaikh told during probe that she wanted to give the baby to her sister in Gujarat. However, before she could do so, we rescued the child safely and reunited the baby with the parents. We will now investigate the woman in Gujarat to whom Ruksaar allegedly intended to hand over the child for sale,” Sayyed said.Police are investigating the suspected Gujarat connection and trying to establish the role of the woman who was allegedly supposed to receive the baby. Investigators are also verifying the backgrounds of the arrested accused and examining whether they were involved in similar offences in the past.A case has been registered at Ambernath police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 137 (2), 143 (2) and 143 (4), along with Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, according to the police press note.Sayyed appealed to residents to remain vigilant and avoid entrusting young children with unfamiliar people.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in MumbaiStay updated with the latest Mumbai news. Download the TOI App.