Cops rescue girl kidnapped by father’s friend

Pune: The Lohegaon police rescued a 15-year-old girl from the clutches of a man (50) in Jalna on Tuesday night and safely reunited her with her family, after she was kidnapped on Sunday.A team led by senior inspector Manisha Patil of the Lohegaon police arrested the suspect, a resident of Jalna. Currently staying in Lohegaon, he was known to the girl and her father.According to the police, the girl and her family had shifted to Pune about eight days ago. Her father is a casual worker, while her mother has passed away. Her father remarried after her mother’s death. The girl, a school dropout, frequently quarrelled with her stepmother.Patil said, “The suspect and the abducted girl’s father were friends. They knew each other since their time in Jalna. The suspect spoke with the girl frequently and gradually won her confidence. The girl wanted to continue with her education, and the man promised to help her study further though he wanted to sell her for a profit.”She said, “Taking advantage of the girl’s situation, the suspect persuaded her to leave her home in Pune.

The girl acted on his instruction and left home in the early hours of Sunday. The suspect then took her to his residence in Jalna and kept her there before returning to Pune.”Patil said, “After returning to Pune, the man (suspect) pretended to search for the girl with her father and other family members. He even visited the police station to lodge a missing person’s complaint on Sunday evening.”She said, “Our team immediately started tracing the girl. The team members later realised that the man, whom the girl referred to as her uncle, was behaving suspiciously. We then searched his residence in Jalna and found the girl there. The man intended to sell the girl for profit.”