Pavement Child Kidnapping Exposes Child Trafficking Racket
In a dramatic rescue operation, the Vakola police successfully saved a five-year-old girl from the clutches of a child trafficking network and arrested six individuals, including her own maternal uncle and aunt. The shocking incident unfolded when the child was kidnapped while sleeping beside her mother on a pavement in Santacruz East.
The abduction occurred in the early hours of November 21 on Nehru Road in Vakola, where the complainant Pinky Rahul Sharma regularly sleeps with her two young children aged five and six. The mother discovered her daughter missing around 4 am and immediately alerted authorities after failing to locate the child herself.
Police Investigation Uncovers Trafficking Network
Police investigation began with examining CCTV footage from the area, which showed an autorickshaw stopping briefly near the sleeping family just before the girl disappeared. This crucial evidence led investigators to autorickshaw driver Latif Shaikh, who was detained from Kalina based on technical surveillance and inputs.
During interrogation, Shaikh allegedly named Lawrence Fernandes and his wife Mangal Fernandes as the masterminds behind the abduction. Further investigation revealed that Shaikh had driven the child to Panvel, where she was handed over to agent Karan Maruti Sanas.
"Lateef drove the autorickshaw to Panvel, where they handed over the girl to one Karan Sanas, who paid Rs 90,000 to Lawrence," confirmed senior inspector Prakash Khandekar of Vakola police station.
Family Betrayal and Doctor's Involvement
The investigation took a disturbing turn when police discovered that Lawrence Fernandes, the child's maternal uncle, had agreed to kidnap his own niece after Karan Sanas approached him claiming an acquaintance wanted a child. The kidnapping was carefully executed between 2 am and 3 am when the family was most vulnerable.
Karan Sanas was subsequently arrested and during questioning, he named Dr. Brinda Chavan, a BAMS doctor, as the final recipient of the child. According to police, Karan had received Rs 6 lakh from Dr. Chavan, who claimed she wanted to adopt a daughter.
However, Dr. Chavan told investigators a different story, claiming that Karan had introduced the girl as his sister's daughter and stated that his sister couldn't care for the child properly.
The police team successfully traced the child to Panvel and conducted a rescue operation, bringing the young girl back to safety. All six accused - Lawrence Fernandes, Mangal Fernandes, her son Nitin, autorickshaw driver Latif Shaikh, agent Karan Maruti Sanas, and Dr. Brinda Chavan - now face serious charges related to child trafficking.
Further investigation is currently underway to determine if this network was involved in other similar crimes and to uncover the full extent of the child trafficking operation.
