Mumbai: Alert Government railway Police (GRP) officials tracked down the kidnapper of a one-and-half year old baby girl hours after he fled with the infant from Dadar railway station in the wee hours of Friday.

The accused, who stays on a footpath outside Dadar station was tracked at Marine Lines railway station with the help of CCTV camera footage by the railway police was apprehended in time.

The rescued girl was handed over to her parents. The accused identified as Babu Shaikh (28), claimed that he took the baby and fed her biscuit.

The GRP officials said that the girl and her parents came by the Madgaon Express train to Dadar in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.

“It was around 1 am when the family reached Dadar. Since it was late they slept at the akywalk connecting Dadar platform number 6 at the North end. The incident came to light when girl's father woke up at around 3 am and found her missing, said Nitin Bobade, senior inspector Dadar GRP.

The father rushed to the railway police and lodged a complaint. The police scanned the station premise and CCTV footage. A wireless message was sent to alert personnel on station duty.

An hour later the Dadar GRP received a message from a constable at Marine Lines station who said that a suspect had been detained whth a girl, resembling to description of the missing baby.  Shaikh and the girl were brought to Dadar GRP where he confessed to the crime.

“Shaikh resides on pavements outside Dadar. He said that he felt pity for the girl and picked her up only to feed her. We are checking if there are any past cases against him,” added Bobade.