Kidnapped and sold off, 6-month-old rescued within 24-hrs

A six-month-old infant boy who was allegedly kidnapped by a youth and sold to a mother- daughter duo has been rescued within 24 hours of the incident and the trio arrested, police said today.
The accused, identified as Rahul alias Wastik and Preeti and her mother Rajni, were arrested by Mandawali police. Efforts are on to nab a fourth accused called Bunty, police said.
Police was notified at 4.45 A.M. Yesterday about the child having gone missing from the roof of House No.A-41, Sewa Sadan Block, in the Mandawali area of east Delhi following which six teams were formed to take up a search for the infant.

"Urmila (Rahul's mother) was responsible for locking the main gate of the building daily at 1.00 A.M. After the entry of the residents. The key used to be in her possession. A few persons in the building, including her sons, knew where the keys were kept," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), Ajay Kumar.
Police said that as they investigated the disappearance of the infant, they found that the lock on the main gate had not been forced but unlocked using either the original or a duplicate key.
It was also observed that there was little possibility of the child being kidnapped by an outsider as almost 60 persons were asleep on the roof of the building, which has 45 rooms with about five to six persons occupying each room, police added.

"All those who had access to the keys were thoroughly interrogated. Among them, Rahul initially tried to mislead the police but later broke down and confessed to having hatched a conspiracy with his friend Bunty Kumar to kidnap the child and sell him as he was under debt," said Kumar.

Bunty introduced Rahul to Preeti and her mother Rajni as potential buyers with Rajni wanting a male heir for her family, police said. Preeti was residing with her mother due to a matrimonial dispute, they added.
"As per the plan, Rahul secretly got the key... Then went to the roof, lifted the child silently and came downstairs.

"With Bunty, he went to Rajni and Preeti's home at B-block Mandawali and handed over the child to them in a deal for Rs 60,000, of which Rs 20,000 was paid to Bunty and the remaining amount was promised to be paid today," said Kumar.
But a raid was conducted at the B-block house from where the kidnapped infant was recovered safe and sound, police said.