The Zone XII of Mumbai Police, combining officers from several police stations, cracked a child abduction case and rescued a 38-day-old infant while also arresting four people, including two women from Malad’s Malwani.
The incident took place on March 1. The abduction took place from under the Mrinal Tai Flyover in Goregaon, where the child was sleeping along with his siblings and parents, Suresh Salat, a vendor, and his wife, Soni.
The next morning the couple woke up to find their child missing and approached the Vanrai police, who immediately registered a complaint and launched an investigation.
Police officers led by Zone XII DCP Smita Patil
The police, through hundreds of CCTV footage, analysed the data of 11,000 auto rickshaws to arrest the accused persons, including the prime suspect, an auto rickshaw driver.
The footage showed that the auto rickshaw used in the kidnapping was a new model, and the driver was wearing a yellow hoodie. However, the auto`s registration number was not visible. To track the vehicle, the police approached the RTO and obtained details of all new auto rickshaws registered in Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai over the last 18 months—totaling around 11,000 autos.
Investigators then scrutinised the owners’ mobile numbers and DRAM data, filtering out suspicious numbers present at or near the crime scene during the abduction. Upon gathering details, the police teams conducted raids at multiple locations and found the child in a house in Malad’s Malwani.
The four arrested accused have been identified as Raju Bhanudas More, 47; his two wives, Mangal Raju More, 35, and Fatima Jilani Shaikh, 37; and an agent, Asif Umar Khan, 42, a plumber by profession.
Police arrest accused from Malwani
“During interrogation, it was revealed that the child was stolen by accused auto rickshaw driver Raju More and his second wife, Fatima Shaikh. After the abduction, Mangal More took care of the child at home, ensuring that the neighbors remained unaware of the crime,” said an officer.
The fourth accused, Arif Khan, had allegedly received a demand for a child in exchange for ₹5 lakh. The gang then devised a plan to kidnap a child, said an officer. However, they were nabbed before they could sell the child.
“Despite checking the details of 11,000 auto-rickshaws and analysing extensive CCTV footage, the police initially had no solid leads. However, our team worked tirelessly, conducting in-depth technical analysis to track down the accused and safely recover the kidnapped child,” said Zone XII DCP Smita Patil.
Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting
