NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, OCT 26
A newborn boy who was abducted from Vadodara in Gujarat some days ago and given to a childless couple in Bihar has been rescued from the eastern state and reunited with his parents, an official said on Tuesday.
The boy, born to Sangita Devipujak and her husband, residents of Bhavnagarpura village in Vadodara’s Waghodia taluka, had gone missing on October 21, after which Gujarat police formed teams to crack the case, he said.
“The child was traced to Bihar, where he was sold to an Army man and his wife for Rs 4 lakh. A total of six persons, including a history-sheeter and a woman, were arrested for their involvement in the case,” he said.
“A tip off was received that one Kalpesh Rathod, a native of Panchmahal, might have abducted the child. Rathod was picked up and he confessed that the Army man and his wife, who were childless, were in contact with him for the last six months and were ready to pay money for a newborn child,” the official said.
As per police, Rathod first contacted Pravin Chunara and then Kalidas Chunara from Waghodia to source a newborn, with Kalidas, along with his son Mahesh and one Raman Kathodia, kidnapping the boy in the early hours of October 21, he said.
“Kalidas then handed over the child to Pravin Chunara and his wife Daksha and took Rs 90,000 from them. Later, Kalpesh Rathod took the child from the couple and paid them Rs 10,000. Rathod then handed over the newborn to the couple from Bihar for Rs 4 lakh,” the official informed.
While all six have been held, the childless couple from Bihar will also be brought to Vadodara to face legal action, the official said.
A probe has revealed that Kalidas Chunara is a hardened criminal with some 50 house break-in thefts registered against his name, said a police release.
