Mumbai: Police chase kidnapper for 5 hours to rescue 12-year-old girl

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It was a five-hour-long chase for the Pant Nagar cops, before they could nab a history-sheeter, who kidnapped a 12-year-old girl for Rs 2 lakh ransom. The girl was on her way to coaching class at Best Colony when the incident took place. Her father, a Vikhroli resident, had informed the cops after the abductor, identified as Prabhu Santosh Khedekar, called him up for the ransom.

On receiving the complaint, the cops registered a case under sections 364(a) (kidnapping for ransom) of IPC and relevant sections of the Protection Of Child from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Changing locations
After the kidnapper asked the girl's father to meet him with the money at Thane, the cops formed five teams to nab him. One of the teams travelled with the victim's father. An officer from Pant Nagar police station said, "When we were about to reach Thane station, Prabhu called up the girl's father and asked him to get down at Mulund and then take a train for Ghatkopar. On reaching Ghatkopar station he again got a call from the accused, asking him to reach Kanjur Marg station. Meanwhile, the other teams were analysing the kidnapper's call details."

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Unending chase
On reaching Kanjur Marg, when Prabhu again called and asked him to meet him at Vikhroli, the team laid a trap near the highway. While the kidnapper was approaching the spot, he realised that cops were around and started running. The officers chased him for nearly a kilometer, before they could nab him.

"Even after arresting him we couldn't find the girl. On being interrogated, Prabhu revealed that he had left the girl at Chintamani Garden in Vikhroli. Immediately a team rushed to the park to save her," the officer said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, another officer said, "Prima facie it seems that only Prabhu is involved in the kidnapping. He will be produced in court on Monday."