Pune Shocker: 4-year-old Girl Saved From 'Human Sacrifice' After Being Abducted By Neighbour

The Pimpri- Chinchwad Police rescued a four-year-old within 10 hours after the kidnapping on Saturday in Pune. As per reports, the police have reportedly detained six people during investigation.

According to the police complaint which was lodged by Tara Raja Sheikh on July 23, her four-year-old daughter went missing after she was playing at a park near her house in Tamhane wasti. As per the complaint, Sheikh goes to work every day leaving her daughter with her neighbours. 

Pune Minor Kidnapping

According to the reports, after being notified of the alert, police organised teams and started their search. Police discovered suspicious activities on the surveillance tape that was submitted by the Sheikh's neighbour's relatives.

According to the Hindustan Times, Santosh Chowgule (41), Vimal Chowgule (28), Sunita Ashok Nalavade (40), Ankita Ashok Nalavade (22), Nikita Ashok Nalavade (18), and one minor were detained during search operations in Junnar that were carried out by Pimpri-Chinchwad police and their rural counterparts from Pune.

It has been also been reported that a few of the accused are related to the complainant's neighbour and visited the house two days before the incident happened. The four-year-old girl was found unharmed in Junnar on Sunday and was taken into police custody.

Suggested Reading: Woman Sexually Assaulted At Railway Station By Four Employees On Pretext Of Job

 “The CCTV footage showed the toddler following the 12-year-old boy. A little later, one of the accused snatched the girl and ran away. After our tip-off, the Junnar police visited the spot and arrested the accused. They were interrogated and we suspect the kidnapping was an attempt to human sacrifice later,” said Padmakar Ghanwat, Pimpri-Chinchwad assistant commissioner of police.

"We arrested the accused within 10 hours after the kidnapping. As per prima facie, we suspect the girl was kidnapped for human sacrifice, but are yet to ascertain the exact cause behind it,’’ said Anand Bhoite, DCP Zone II.

Furthermore, Dr Narendra Dabholkar, an anti-superstition activist affiliated with the NGO Andhashradha Nirmoolan Samiti (ANiS), has also called for action against the suspects.

Milind Deshmukh from ANiS said, "Police are denying any human sacrifice angle in this case. However, considering Amavasya on Thursday, we cannot ignore the possibility. We have come across similar cases in the past."

The Pimpri-Chinchwad police have handed over the investigation to the anti-human trafficking unit headed by DYSP Dattatrya Chavan.