Mumbai: 12-year-old girl helps cops catch kidnapper from CCTV grab

CCTV grabs of the two minor girls (left), and the accused in a red T-shirt (circled)

A 12-year-old daughter of a lady police officer has helped the Agripada cops in nabbing a 20-year-old guy, who had kidnapped two girls from a footpath. The cop had cautioned her daughter to be careful as a kidnapping incident had recently taken place. When the girl probed further, the cop showed her the CCTV grab and footage of the kidnapper. In no time, the girl identified the kidnapper, and told her mother about his whereabouts. The officer then called her superiors, who rushed towards the building and nabbed the accused.

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Two girls, age 5 and 7, had gone missing on the morning of April 18. Their maternal uncle, who was baby-sitting them, rushed to Agripada police station to lodge a complaint. A young man, in a red T-shirt, had lured away the girls on the pretext of giving them chocolates. From CCTV footage, the cops traced the girls walking towards Charni Road station. All the neighbouring police stations were kept on alert. The cops from VP Road police station saw two girls crying near a road at Kumbharwada, who were identified and handed over to the Agripada cops at 6 pm.

Meanwhile, the footage from the CCTV was circulated. A lady sub-inspector, living in Lower Parel, also received the same. While chatting with her 12-year-old daughter, she cautioned her to be careful of strangers, because of the incident. "Her daughter insisted that her mother show her the face of the kidnapper," said a senior police officer. "When the girl saw the footage as well as the CCTV grab, she exclaimed that she knows the boy, and that he lives in the same building where they were living."

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The lady officer was shocked at first, but when her daughter insisted it was him, she immediately informed the Agripada police station, from where a team was dispatched to Lower Parel. "We arrested the accused from his house," added another officer. "He was taken aback as he didn't think the cops would trace him so quickly. It was only because of the alert girl, who not only identified him but also told us of his whereabouts. If more citizens came forward with information such as this, cops would be able to solve crimes a lot faster." The accused, Gauresh Mahadik, is in custody now.

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