The accused has been charged with kidnapping and is currently in police custody.
A 4-year-old girl was kidnapped while playing outside her house in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. The police have arrested a 74-year-old man in connection with the case.
According to the police, the incident took place near Nerul railway station area of Navi Mumbai. On Thursday, when the girl did not return home, her parents registered a complaint with the Nerul police.
The cops immediately launched an investigation and scanned CCTV footage of the area. One camera caught a person carrying the child in his arms and walking away. Senior police officer Tanaji Bhagat formed a team to track down the accused. The team checked about 150 CCTVs in and around the railway station.
Using the CCTV footage, the police were able to identify the man and laid a trap to arrest him. The accused was found to be in the Karave village area of Navi Mumbai. According to the police, the man, identified as Mani Thomas, had kept the girl at his house. After losing his first wife, Thomas remarried, but he and his new wife had no children. He told police that he kidnapped the girl because he wanted a child. A preliminary investigation revealed that he was planning to leave the state with her.
The girl was rescued unharmed and was reunited with her parents. The accused has been charged with kidnapping and is currently in police custody.
The police are investigating whether the accused is involved in any other child trafficking cases.