Man kidnaps and molests 3-yr-old, dumps her on road

A 28-year-old man from Andheri allegedly abducted a 3-year-old girl, molested her before abandoning the child on a road in Kurla. A quick response team of the Sakinaka police traced her and reunited the baby with her parents.

The police said accused Sandeep Parab, who is addicted to alcohol and does odd jobs, saw the girl playing outside her residence around 4.30 pm on Friday. The sick man apparently found the child "attractive" and decided to abduct her.

Her worried family scoured their neighbourhood, but could not find the girl. They then approached the police, who registered a case of kidnapping.

"We found the accused in the footage of a CCTV camera installed in a shop. After locals identified him, we went to his house, but didn't find him. Later, our quick response team tracked him down. He said he had abandoned her at Kurla," said an officer from Sakinaka police station. The girl was rescued around 11 pm and handed over to her parents.

Senior Inspector Avinash Dharmadhikari said, "He told us that he found the baby attractive. He had the sole intention of molesting her."

The police have booked Parab for kidnapping and molestation under the Indian Penal Code and under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, more commonly known as POCSO. A court on Saturday remanded Parab in police custody till March 3.

The child's father was in full of praise for the police. He told DNA: "I had no enmity nor professional rivalry with Parab. She is our life and I don't what we would have done had anything happened to her. I am thankful to the police for the swift action and bringing my daughter back."