Mumbai: Unable to get a job and in need of money to fuel his alcoholism, a 25-year-old man allegedly kidnapped his five-year-old cousin sister and demanded ransom from her family in Palghar on Wednesday. The police, however, traced and apprehended the accused within two hours of receiving the complaint, and rescued the girl.
According to the police, the victim stays with her parents in Vishnu Nagar in Palghar and the accused, Pritam Kamble, is her cousin. The police said that he had come to Palghar in search of a job a month ago and was staying with the victim’s family in their residence since then.
“On Wednesday evening, Kamble stepped out of the house with the victim, offering to get her sweets. They did not return for a long time and around 6.30 pm, the victim’s mother received a call from Kamble, who demanded ₹1 lakh in exchange for returning her safe and sound,” said a police officer.
The girl’s mother immediately rushed to the police station. Responding to the complaint, the police put in an urgent request to the cellular service provider, seeking the location of the mobile number that the accused was using.
“The accused was switching on his phone only intermittently but we studied the pattern of his locations each time we got a hit and concluded that he was in Kelwa,” added the officer.
He added that multiple teams were rushed to the town and around 9 pm they found Kamble and the girl at the Kelwa railway station.
Both were brought to the police station, after which the child was taken for a medical check-up, while Kamble was arrested.
“The girl child has not been harmed in any way. The accused has an alcohol addiction and wanted to make fast money. We have charged him with kidnapping for ransom under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code,” said Superintendent of Police, Balasaheb Patil, Palghar police.