Mumbai: 19-year-old who kidnapped two minor girls nabbed in 12 hours

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

The Agripada police have arrested one person for trying to kidnap two minor girls from a footpath in the area. The girls were taken along by the accused under the pretext of giving them chocolates at around 7 am on Thursday morning, the police said. However, the CCTV cameras helped the cops find the girls and the accused in no time.

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A person living on the footpath of Baby Garden on Motibai Street in Byculla complained to the Agripada police that a man donning a red t-shirt took his two nieces (aged 7 and 5 years) by offering to buy them chocolates.

All police stations in the city were immediately alerted by sharing the CCTV footage with them. After a day-long search, VP Road (Girgaon) cops informed Agripada police at around 6 pm that two girls had been found near Gol Devool near Kumbharwada.

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Agripada cops rushed to VP Road police station and took custody of the girls who were then taken to Nair Hospital for a medical checkup. According to the police, the girls were following the accused when he took them away but took a wrong turn after 20 minutes. They were found by a cop from VP Road police station.

Cop speak

"CCTV cameras installed at crucial road junctions were useful in tracking the kids and the accused. No signs of assault or sexual exploitation have been found so far. We have detained the 19-year-old man," said Sawalaram Agawane, senior inspector at Agripada police station. Accused Gaurav Mahadik, a resident of Lower Parel and a Class XI student, has been booked under IPC section 363 (kidnapping).

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