In a shocking case of child trafficking, the Vakola Police have arrested five people for allegedly kidnapping a five-year-old girl and attempting to sell her. Those arrested include the complainant’s own brother, his wife, her son, an autorickshaw driver and a woman doctor. The kidnapped child has been successfully rescued from Panvel.
According to Vakola Police, the complainant, Pinky Rahul Sharma (35), residing in Gaondevi, Vakola, has four children — two from her first marriage and two from her current marriage. On the night of November 20, Sharma was sleeping with two of her children on the footpath along Nehru Nagar Road when an unknown person lifted her five-year-old daughter and disappeared.
Sharma initially searched for her child in the surrounding area but failed to trace her. On November 22, she approached Vakola Police Station and lodged a kidnapping complaint.
Following the FIR, DCP Manish Kalwania ordered an immediate investigation. Vakola Senior Police Inspector Prakash Khandekar formed a special team of six to seven officers to work on the case. CCTV examination from the location showed the child being carried away in an autorickshaw. However, the vehicle’s number plate was unclear due to poor night visibility. On close observation, the police spotted a distinctive ‘V-type’ symbol on the autorickshaw, which helped them track its route towards Chedda Nagar, Mankhurd.
The breakthrough came the following day when the Vakola team spotted the same rickshaw. The driver, Latif Abdul Majid Shaikh (52), was detained and during interrogation revealed the entire kidnapping plot.
Shaikh informed the police that Lawrence Nicholas Fernandes (42), the victim’s maternal uncle, had orchestrated the kidnapping. Lawrence, along with his second wife Mangal Jadhav (38) and her son Nitin, had planned the abduction. During questioning, Lawrence confessed that one Karan Maruti Sanas had asked him to arrange a young girl for a woman who wanted to raise a child. Karan assured him that he would be paid for arranging the child.
Driven by greed, Lawrence kidnapped his sister Pinky’s daughter and handed her over to Karan, who paid him ₹90,000.
Karan was taken into custody and revealed that the girl had been sold to Dr. Vrinda Chavan (60), a Panvel resident. A police team immediately reached Panvel and rescued the child from Chavan’s residence. Chavan, a widow with no children, had allegedly purchased the girl through intermediaries.
Vakola Police have arrested all six accused — Lawrence Fernandes, Mangal Jadhav, Nitin Fernandes, Latif Shaikh, Karan Sanas and Dr. Vrinda Chavan. Further investigation is underway.