Woman killed, infant boy kidnapped for selling in Hadapsar
Pune, June 19 – Officials from Hadapsar police station have nabbed four persons including three women for allegedly killing a mother and trying to sell her infant son for Rs four lakhs.
The deceased has been identified as Madhu (22), a resident of Vaidwadi in Hadapsar. Her husband Raghunandan Kedarnath Thakur (23), a native of Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh, has lodged the FIR against the accused persons. He works as labourer.
The arrested accused are Nikita Sanjay Kangne (30), Chandrabhaga Krishna Udanshu (35), Laxmi alias Pinky Balaji Jadhav (19) and Akash Krishna Udanshu (19), all residents of Ramtekdi in Wanowrie. Their accomplice Maya More is said to be on the run. Chandrabhaga and her son Akash helped accused in destroying evidence.
According to police, Nikita is the main accused. She had approached Madhu pretending to be an anganwadi worker and promised to get her delivery done at a government hospital which will enable her to get money under various schemes for pregnant woman.
Around 11 on Friday, Nikita and Laxmi took Madhu and the 25-days old child under pretext of visiting hospital for getting the grant from hospital. But Madhu didn’t return home.
Unable to trace her, Thakur approached police in the wee hours of Saturday. Police Sub Inspector Hanumant Vaman Shinde who was night duty showed presence of mind and registered a case of kidnapping which gave urgency to investigation.
A team led by Assistant Police Inspector Hemant Patil from the detection branch swung into action and nabbed the accused with 10 hours.
ACP (Wanowrie division) Ravindra Rasal said, “Nikita with help of Laxmi and Maya, strangulated Madhu to death in a room opposite her house in Ramtekdi. The body was hidden under the cot.”
Senior Police Inspector Vishnu Pawar, in-charge of Hadapsar police station, added, “Laxmi had kept the infant boy in Kalepadal area. Investigations have revealed that the accused wanted to sell the baby boy for Rs four lakhs. Investigations are on to find out if they are part of any larger child trafficking racket”.
Police have arrested the accused for offences under sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 342 (illegal confinement), 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The arrested accuseds were produced before a holiday magistrate court on Sunday, which remanded them to police custody till 22nd June.
Police Sub Inspector M A Doke is further investigating the case.
