Two-year-old girl rescued, abductor held from Panvel

(Representational Image)

A two-year-old girl was rescued by the Thane police and her alleged abductor arrested from Panvel on Saturday. The girl was abducted from Mumbra on Friday when her grandmother allegedly sent her along with the accused to buy snacks.

Police said the accused has been identified as Sunita Jadhaw (33), originally belonging to Yavatmal.
“The accused was spotted by the girl’s father on September 21 near the railway tracks. The woman was allegedly trying to commit suicide after her family had thrown her out. The girl’s father took the woman to his mother’s house, where she was living with the child. She managed to win over the family’s trust,” said an officer from the Mumbra police. On Friday, the girl went with Jadhaw to buy some snacks, police said. “When they did not return, the family members started looking for them. The grandmother, Batul Ramjan Shaikh, approached the police and lodged a missing complaint,” said the officer. The police contacted the crime branch, which sent a team to Yavatmal.

“However, we received information that the woman was taking the child to Pune. We immediately contacted the railway police, and finally found the woman and child near Panvel station, headed towards Pune in a train,” said the officer.

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The motive behind the abduction is yet to become clear, police said.

“She hasn’t confessed anything yet. However, she was either taking the child to a buyer or intended to raise her as her own daughter. We are investigating the motive. We are also checking if she was indeed thrown out from her house, or if it was a lie to get entry into the Shaikh household,” a senior officer said.