19-yr-old held for kidnapping girl child

The Navi Mumbai police have arrested a kidnapper within eight hours of a one-and-a half -year-old girl being kidnapped on Monday late night.

The incident took place at Khernegaon in Panvel district on Monday night. An FIR has been registered by the girl’s grandfather Harishchandra Mhatre (57) after he received a call from the accused Hamidullah Ummed Ali Bensa (19) demanding Rs 50 lakh for the release of the child.

The toddler Rudva was kidnapped by the accused Hamidullah from her residence on Monday night at 12:30 a.m while the Mhatre family was fast asleep. Hamidullah, a scrap dealer, is a resident of Haribhau Anant Mhatre chawl at Khernegaon which is close to the girl child’s residence. He is a native of 24 Parganas in West Bengal.

The kidnapper had removed two sim cards from two mobile phones of Harishchandra Mhatre. Subsequently, Hamidullah called the father of the girl from the same sim card that he had stolen from their house. He demanded Rs 50 lakh and threatened to kill the child if he inform the police about it. He also demanded that the girl’s father should delete the CCTV footage of his house.

According to Hemant Nagrale, the Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai, “The location of the accused Hamidullah was traced at a deserted location at Khernegaon near Panvel.

All the deserted spots, lodges and shops were checked thoroughly. We had received information from Bhagesh Balu Waghmare (60), a resident of adivasi pada at Khernegaon, that he had spotted an abandoned infant girl behind a tree whose hands and mouth were tied with a tape.

Based on the information, the girl was rescued and Hamidullah was arrested from a deserted place at Khernegaon.”

“The accused has confessed to the crime. The motive of kidnapping was extortion,” added Nagrale.

A First Information Report was registered for kidnapping for ransom (Section 364 (A)) and house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint (Section 452) of the Indian Penal Code.

The accused has been remanded to police custody until June 19.