Mumbai: Police rescued a missing three-year-old girl and arrested her abductor within three hours of her disappearance on Sunday night. The Wadala Truck Terminal police said that the accused tried to sexually assault the girl after kidnapping her.
The police said that the girl was last seen playing outside her house in Kokri Agar area. When her elder sister noticed that she had not returned home till 9.15 p.m., she informed her mother, who approached the police.
Senior Police Inspector Sushil Kamble of Wadala TT police station, said: “We filed a case of kidnapping against unknown persons under the Indian Penal Code and launched a search operation. At around 12.30 a.m. on Monday, we found her along with a man near the Monorail depot in Wadala.”
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The 25-year-old abductor and the victim were brought to the police station and questioned. The police said that the man confessed that he also stayed in Kokri Agar area and kidnapped the girl with the intention of raping her. Mr. Kamble said, “The accused lured the victim by offering sweets and took her to a secluded spot near the Monorail depot.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV) N. Ambika said, “The victim was taken to Sion Hospital for medical tests. Doctors said that the girl did not suffer any injuries.”
The accused has been charged with kidnapping and rape under the Indian Penal Code and sexual assault on a minor under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Officers said that the accused does not have a criminal record and inquiries are on to find out if he has targeted other minors in the past.
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Ms. Ambika said, “The case was solved because of the prompt action of the victim’s mother. The police was able to immediately act on her complaint and locate the child with the help of the local people.”