Mumbai: A 29-year-old man was arrested by Deonar police on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping a toddler after the child's mother refused to continue an affair with him. The accused, identified as Abdul Hazarat Ali Shah, is a resident of Mumbra, in Thane district.
The incident came to light when the child’s mother, along with her relatives, approached the police, reporting her two-and-a-half-year-old son as missing. Given the child's age, the police immediately registered an FIR under kidnapping charges and launched an urgent investigation.
According to the mother, the toddler was playing outside their house when he suddenly disappeared. The police, acting swiftly, formed two separate teams to track down the missing child. CCTV footage from the area showed a man in a private cab near the vicinity of the incident, raising suspicion.
Tracing the route of the cab, police determined that the vehicle had headed towards Mumbra. Upon showing the footage to the child’s family and mother, they immediately recognised the driver as Shah and provided his location in Mumbra.
Police teams proceeded to Shah’s residence, where they successfully rescued the toddler. However, Shah managed to flee the scene and was traced heading towards New Panvel. A separate police team followed his movements and arrested him shortly thereafter.
During interrogation, Shah admitted to kidnapping the child as an act of intimidation, revealing that he had been in love with the mother and had pressured her to maintain a relationship with him. When the mother consistently rejected his advances, Shah resorted to kidnapping the child in an attempt to frighten her into compliance. The mother further disclosed that Shah had previously threatened to harm the child if his demands were not met.
Shah has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Section 140(1) for kidnapping or abduction with intent to murder or ransom, Section 352 for intentional insult with the intent to provoke a breach of peace, and Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation.
The child has been safely reunited with the family, and further investigations are underway.
