Sangli couple claims custody of girl found 11 years after kidnap

Three days after a 35-year-old man was arrested for allegedly abducting a minor girl, forcing her into begging and then raping her, a family from Sangli approached Bandra police claiming that the girl is their daughter. The police will now be doing a DNA test on them to ascertain the paternity.

Sudhir Chaudhary, a slum dweller from Bandra, was charged of picking up a three-year-old girl in 1999 from Borivli station.

Chaudhary’s mistress Julie was also with him at the time of the abduction, the police records claim. The officials said that the girl was forced into begging and was made to sit near Mahim dargah and Church, apart from being asked to beg on the roads,” said a police official.

The victim was also sent to work as maid. The accused and his mistress survived on the girl’s income and spent it on vices.

Since the past two years, the accused had been sexually assaulting the victim, warning her that she shouldn’t disclose this to anyone.

The police said that Sangli native, Shivaji Anuse, 48, through a newspaper article learned about the girl and contacted Bandra police. Anuse told the police that he had lost his daughter while he and his wife were working at a construction site in Bhyander in 1999. A missing complaint was lodged at Bhayander police station regarding the same.

Investigators said they will conduct a DNA test of the parents to ascertain whether they are the girl’s real parents. If it is positive, the police will start the process of handing her custody to the couple.