In a major breakthrough, the Mumbai police on Tuesday cracked the Karnit Shah kidnapping case. Five-year-old Karnit, who was kidnapped on April 6, was found hidden in a small flat in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh early on Wednesday morning. The police arrested five people in connection with the kidnapping.

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At a press conference on Wednesday evening, commissioner of police Arup Patnaik said that it was an emotional moment for him. He gifted Shah a toy car and was rewarded with a salute. The boy’s parents broke down on being united with their son with the mother weeping all through the press conference. “I was not afraid. They gave me chocolate to eat. Police uncles helped me,” said Karnit to applause.

“The first breakthrough came when a kidnapper made a call from a cell phone, which made it easier for the police to trace the location of the accused,” said Patnaik. Based on the call records, police managed to nab Sandeep Waruse and Sammer Usman Khan alias Sunny who worked as delivery boys in Designer -- a cake shop near the victim’s house.

On being interrogated, they revealed that their employer Sohanlal Gupta was the financier and brain behind the crime. The other accused Lalji Yadav, a milkman was also arrested. The duo gave information about the whereabouts of the boy, who was with their accomplice Sujit Kumar Bind in Allahabad. A special police team from Mumbai with the help of UP Anti-terrorism Squad rescued the child.

Shah, the son of a stockbroker went missing on April 6, while playing outside his building in Kandivli. During the initial investigation, the police learnt that Waruse and Khan befriended the boy by visiting his building over 15 days and giving him chocolates.

Patnaik said there was no ransom called made to the victim’s family for the first eight days. In order to lure the kidnappers, the police asked Shah’s father Anand to announce a reward of Rs2 lakh. After the announcement the family received the first ransom call, for Rs 1 crore.