THE MUMBAI Police has arrested a “mentally-challenged” woman for allegedly kidnapping a two-year-old girl from south Mumbai. The police said the woman’s daughter was recently sent to a children’s home by the authorities. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Dyaneshwar Chavan said, “The woman appeared to be mentally-challenged.” Investigators said local residents in Wadala sensed something amiss upon seeing the child with the woman and informed the police. During preliminary inquiries, the arrested woman, in her early 30s, reportedly told the police that her own daughter, aged around 4 years, was recently sent to a state-run children’s home. The police said the incident took place on Friday around 6 am, when the accused reportedly kidnapped the two-year-old girl from a shanty near Charni Road railway station even as her parents slept. An officer from the DB Marg police station where a case of kidnapping was registered said, “The woman picked up the girl and fled. She first took a train from Charni Road station and went to Churchgate, following which she took another train to Andheri.” After scanning CCTV footage from the railway station, the police found the woman with the baby and were able to trace her movements till Andheri. On Monday, the DB Marg police were informed that the girl was rescued in Wadala where local residents had been unconvinced with the woman’s claim that the minor with her was her own child. An officer from DB Marg police station said, “Four months ago, the Gamdevi police were on an anti-begging drive and had rescued the woman’s minor daughter who was sent to a state home. Since then, the woman has been looking for company and so she picked a girl from near Charni Road station when she got a chance.” “The two-year-old girl was rescued and handed over to her mother,” said Chavan. Investigators believe that the woman intended to use the two-year-old for the purpose of begging. The accused was booked under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and sent to Thane mental hospital for a medical check-up following which she was admitted.
