Mumbai: 'Kidnapped' city girl rescued from West Bengal

Representational Image

Allegedly 'kidnapped' city girl was rescued from West Bengal. A 17-year-old girl from the city who had been allegedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution in West Bengal has been rescued, police said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.

Dharavi police in the city arrested Kunal Pandey (30) from Champaran, Bihar and Sikandar Shaikh for alleged involvement in the crime, an official said, reported PTI.

With this rescue, Dharavi Police has solved all the missing children cases of 2023 and reunited 35 girls with their parents, he said, reported PTI.

In the present case, the girl had gone missing from her Dharavi residence in September and an offence of kidnapping was registered against unidentified persons on her father's complaint, the official said, reported PTI.

After getting information that she was at Panjipada in West Bengal, a team of Dharavi police travelled to the eastern state and rescued her from a brothel, reported PTI.

The accused were booked for alleged rape and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, reported PTI.

In another case, a 14-year-old girl, who had left her residence and was travelling to Patna by train, was intercepted and reunited with her parents, reported PTI.

After registering a complaint of kidnapping on Thursday, police examined CCTV footage and found that the girl boarded a train for Patna from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, reported PTI.

Mumbai Police then alerted the Government Railway Police, Aurangabad, and the girl was taken into custody at Raver railway station and brought back to the city, the official said, reported PTI.

In another case, six persons were arrested on Thursday for allegedly looting gold dust worth Rs 27 lakh from employees of a jewellery firm in Matunga in Mumbai, a police official said, reported PTI.

An employee of the firm who had tipped off the accused about the presence of gold dust among those who were arrested, the official said, reported PTI.

"The gold dust was being brought to Lower Parel. The loot took place near Ramee Hotel when the staffers were on their way from Dadar to Lower Parel by taxi. The six accused stopped the vehicle, thrashed the staffers and looted gold dust in a bag with gold filing and casting gold, cumulatively weighing 35 kilograms," he said, reported PTI.

"The weight of the gold dust in the bag was 650 grams and was worth Rs 27 lakh. A case was lodged at Matunga police station for dacoity and other offences. CCTV footage of the area showed some of the accused had come from Dadar railway station," he said, reported PTI.

Based on checking of CCTV footage and technical analysis, the accused were held from Thane this afternoon, the official said, reported PTI.

"We recovered Rs 2 lakh cash the accused got from selling dust, 127 grams of gold and 6 kilograms of gold garbage," he said, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)