Vasai single mother reunited with daughters

A 29-year-old woman was reunited with her two daughters on Tuesday after the Nalasopara police forced their way into Sharda Shishu Niketan, a girls’ hostel for underprivileged children in Umrale village, and rescued the two minors, along with the other inmates.

An unwed mother and a resident of Valiv in Vasai (East), Sapna Vishnu Gautam had sent her daughters Palak, 7, and Karishma, 6, to the hostel. For the last three years, Gautam struggled to meet them; every time she went to the hostel, the authorities turned her away.

“Every time I went to meet them and take them home, the authorities would give me vague answers and send me away. On January 9, they forced me to sign a document, which said the hostel authorities won’t be held responsible for my children if something goes wrong,” she said.

After several failed attempts, she finally approached the police. “The police tried entering the hostel premises on Monday night but were denied entry. On Tuesday morning, they barged their way in and brought my daughters back,” she added.

Gautam works with a manufacturing company. She had admitted her children in the hostel as, she said, she couldn’t work and take care of them at the same time.

A senior police officer said they have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Juvenile Justice Act.

“During investigation, we found that the hostel had no permissions to operate and is, in fact, illegal. We are checking the possibility of sexual abuse or child labour,” he added.