The crime branch on Monday arrested a person who kidnapped a
three-month-old baby and sold him to a couple, who in turn tried
selling the child to begging racketeers. The trio has been arrested.
Jaggu, the main accused in the case, is the neighbour of the child,
and had kidnapped him from Mahim in March this year. The accused had
slapped the elder brother of the infant Maqdum Shaikh and escaped with
the baby on March 23. Maqdum’s mother, who worked as a domestic help
in the area, was at work at the time of the incident.
When efforts to trace the infant had gone in vain, the boy’s parents
approached the Mahim police and a case was registered under Section
363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code.
“After the case was registered, we formed three teams to trace the boy
and nab the accused. One team was given the task of ensuring that we
get information about the whereabouts of the accused. We learnt that
two of them, a man and his wife, were in Kolkata. We sent a team
there, and began our hunt for them. With the help of the local police,
we managed to arrest Ali and Payal, and also found Maqdum with them,”
said an officer.
The duo was then brought back to Mumbai, where they were produced in
court. They are currently in judicial custody. Maqdum was
then reunited with his parents. “Although we had nabbed Payal and Ali,
the main accused was still at large. We were gathering information
about his whereabouts and were told that he would be in the city on
Monday. Accordingly, a trap was laid and Jaggu was arrested,” said the
officer.