Man arrested for kidnapping infant,another for buying her

“The child’s mother,Salma,approached us on Saturday night and told us her daughter has been missing since January 5. She said the child was kidnapped while she was asleep on a pavement near the Maulana Shaukhat Ali Road,” said inspector Srikant Desai of V P Road police station.

Salma told the police that she filed the complaint after her efforts to locate her daughter went in vain. “We registered a case under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code. We went to the spot from where the girl was kidnapped and questioned the shopkeepers in the area. After gathering relevant information,we traced Sharma to Kamathipura and called him for questioning,” said Desai.

Sharma allegedly confessed to having kidnapped the child and selling her to Shaikh. He told the police he was paid Rs 14,000 for the child. “Shaikh was married for 25 years,but did not have a child. He tried adoption,but was denied after he failed to meet the economic criteria. It was then he planned to buy an infant,” Desai said.

The police went to Shaikh’s house in Wadi Bunder,but did not find him there. “Neighbours told us he is a native of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and had relatives in Mazgaon. We went to his relatives and learnt that he was in Sewri,from where we finally arrested him,” Desai added.

The duo was produced in court and have been remanded in police custody till January 20. The police are also on the lookout for Sharma’s accomplice who allegedly helped in selling the child. “We are on the lookout for the third accused. We will nab him soon,” said Desai.