07 December,2016 02:10 PM IST | | Samiullah Khan
She has 10 daughters, she won’t mind if we take one – this was the callous logic put forward by 35-year-old Aarti Chandra, who stole her former neighbour’s three-month-old baby and sold her for Rs 10,000
Aarti walks towards the Singh family's tent between 2 and 3 am
She has 10 daughters, she won't mind if we take one - this was the callous logic put forward by 35-year-old Aarti Chandra, who stole her former neighbour's three-month-old baby and sold her for Rs 10,000.
Aarti picks up the sleeping baby and walks away
Thanks to the efforts of the Kandivli police, Aarti and six accomplices were arrested the very next day. The accomplices were identified as Sarfaraz Shaikh (30), Asiya Shaikh (32), Nadira Shaikh alias Khala (53), Rani Naidu (53), Sarika Chavan (30) and Savita Salunkhe (30).
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Cops suspect the arrested accused may be part of a child trafficking racket
Vengeance
As mid-day had reported earlier, vengeance was an even bigger motive than money. Aarti was still seething over a fight she had with the baby's mother Devli about a month ago. Devli had spotted her husband drinking with Aarti late into the night and threw her out of the family shanty.
"Khala, who was one of Aarti's neighbours in Malwani, informed her that she could get good money in exchange for a baby. Aarti hatched a plan with Khala and two other neighbours - Safaraz and his wife Asiya - to steal the baby and make some money. They thought that since Devli has 10 daughters, she wouldn't complain to the police if one of them went missing," said an officer from Kandivli police. Fortunately, Mumbai Police had already installed CCTV cameras near Charkop Naka on Marve Road, so there was footage of the entire crime. CCTV clips show Aarti stealing the baby from the family's tent, while Khala, Safaraz and Asiya follow her.
Read Story: Kandivli police rescues kidnapped 3-month-old girl from Trombay
"With the help of her three neighbours, Aarti handed the baby over to co-accused Rani, who passed the kid on to Sarika in Govandi, who then gave it to Savita. We rescued the infant from Savita's house," added an officer.
"Since Savita works at a hospital, we suspect that these women may be involved in a baby selling racket," the cop added. All the accused were sent to judicial custody.
