Four-and-a-half-year-old Janhavi Sakpal, who was being accompanied by her kidnapper in a train bound for Nashik, was on Monday rescued by a quick-thinking couple who noticed that that the girl was spe
Four-and-a-half-year-old Janhavi Sakpal, who was being accompanied by her kidnapper in a train bound for Nashik, was on Monday rescued by a quick-thinking couple who noticed that that the girl was speaking in Marathi while the person accompanying her was not. The Nashik Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Navi Mumbai police arrested the alleged kidnapper, identified as Shivani Sinha (21), under several sections of the Indian Penal Code related to kidnapping.
Sinha, an Uttar Pradesh resident, had allegedly kidnapped Sakpal, a resident of Rabale in Navi Mumbai, while she was playing outside her house a few days ago. According to police officers, Sinha met a neighbour of Janhavi’s 12 days ago. Sinha sought to live with the neighbour and claimed that unknown persons had been following her.
Speaking about the case, an officer said, “Janhavi’s neighbour took Sinha in 12 days ago, and the latter did not plan to leave for almost a week. Later, she started getting involved with the affairs of locals. Four days ago, Shivani kidnapped Janhavi while she was playing with her and boarded an Express train to Nashik from Thane.”
During the journey, the girl spoke in Marathi with passengers while Sinha did not seem to understand a word, which intrigued Rajak and Isharat Shaikh sitting opposite them, who questioned the woman about the child.
Mr Shaikh said, “We asked the woman how was it that the girl spoke Marathi while she couldn’t. First she said that she had kept her child in an ashram in Mumbai after she was born. Later she said she was taking the girl back home. I found it suspicious, and I threatened to call the police if she didn’t tell the truth. We called the Nashik GRP and she confessed.”
