The Vakola police have rescued a five-year-old girl from Panvel and arrested six persons including the child’s maternal uncle, aunt and a BAMS doctor for their alleged involvement in a child trafficking racket. The girl was kidnapped in the early hours of November 21 while sleeping with her mother on Nehru Road in Vakola, Santacruz (East).
Police said the complainant, Pinky Rahul Sharma, often sleeps on the pavement with her two children, aged five and six. She found her daughter missing around 4 am and registered a kidnapping case after failing to trace her.
The arrested accused have been identified as Lawrence Fernandes, his wife Mangal Fernandes, her son Nitin, autorickshaw driver Latif Shaikh, agent Karan Maruti Sanas and BAMS doctor Brinda Chavan.
CCTV footage from the spot showed an autorickshaw stopping briefly near where the family slept after which the girl disappeared. Based on technical surveillance and inputs, police detained autorickshaw driver Lateef Shaikh from Kalina. During interrogation, he allegedly named Lawrence and Mangal as the persons behind the abduction.
Investigations revealed that Shaikh drove the child to Panvel, where she was handed over to Karan Sanas, who allegedly paid Rs 90,000 to Lawrence. “Lateef drove the autorickshaw to Panvel, where they handed over the girl to one Karan Sanas, who paid Rs 90,000 to Lawrence,” said senior inspector Prakash Khandekar of the Vakola police station.
Police said the kidnapping took place between 2 am and 3 am.
Karan, an agent, had earlier allegedly approached Lawrence claiming that an acquaintance who was childless was willing to pay for a child. Lawrence then agreed to kidnap his niece and allegedly sold her for Rs 90,000.
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Karan was subsequently arrested and he named doctor Brinda Chavan during questioning. He told police that Chavan, who lives alone, wanted to adopt a daughter and had paid him Rs 6 lakh. However, Chavan told investigators that Karan had introduced the girl as his sister’s daughter, saying, “his sister was not able to take care of her and wanted her daughter to grow up in a good family,” a police officer said.
The child was traced to Panvel and safely rescued. Further investigation is underway.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
Expertise & Authority
Affiliation: Reports for the nationally recognized daily, The Indian Express, providing his content with high Trustworthiness.
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Core Authority: His reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial beats, including:
Cyber & Financial Crime: Extensive coverage of sophisticated scams, including cases involving high-value cyber fraud, stock market manipulation scams, and fraudsters using government figures to gain trust.
Law Enforcement & Investigation: Reports directly on major police actions, including arrests made by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in fraud cases (e.g., MHADA flat scams) and detailed coverage of murder and kidnapping investigations.
Major Incidents & Public Safety: Covers significant incidents like building collapses, road accidents, and public safety issues such as theft at large public events.
Defence & Maritime: Also covers key updates regarding the Indian Navy, including the commissioning of new vessels and strategic defense announcements.
Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More
