Mumbai: Man accuses estranged wife of kidnapping their son

Manish Sharma and his parents hold up photos of the father-son duo's happy times, at their home in Girgaum. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Six-year-old Prajwal's cries of "dad, take me back with you" resound in Manish Sharma's ears with heart-rending frequency. The Girgaum resident has accused his wife, Priyadarshini, and her brother of abducting the child from the couple's home in Girgaum, where they had been staying with Manish's parents from 2009 to 2013.

Manish said Prajwal was taken away to live at Priyadarshini's parents' home in Chunabhatti. He filed a criminal writ petition in Bombay High Court against the Priyadarshini's family on September 12.

Years ago...
Priyadarshini had left the Girgaum home in 2013 to live with her parents, who lived in Bombay Central then. "She took Prajwal with her, saying she would be back in a few days. He was one then. Later, she refused to come back. At the year-end, she pressured me to pay Rs 12 lakh for a MHADA lottery flat. I paid Rs 6.5 lakh and said I couldn't pay more immediately. She said that was her condition if I wanted her back," said Manish.

"In January 2015, she brought Prajwal back, asked me to look after him and left. She would hardly visit him," he said. Manish, however, was happy to be with his son and enrolled him in a nearby school.

"On Friday [September 7, 2018], I was at work [in the ecommerce department of a jewellery company in Andheri East], when she came to our Girgaum home. Prajwal was standing outside, but she stifled his cries of "daadi, daadi" and whisked him away on a two-wheeler with her brother's help. Two women from the building saw it," said Manish.

Neighbour P Kavedia, in her statement, which is with mid-day, said she saw Priyadarshini "grab Prajwal and run away". The other witness, R Parekh, in her statement (also with mid-day) said, "Prajwal was not at all comfortable going with his mother, and was forcibly taken away..."

Yearning for his boy
Manish's nightmare began when he filed a verbal complaint at the VP Road police station. He said, "Prajwal was taken to Chunabhatti. I have met him with Priyadarshini and the police on some occasions. He cries to come back to me, he hasn't even been allowed to go to school for months."

"How will a mother, who abandoned her child when he was two, look after him now? I want my son back, I will get him back," finished Manish, his voice trembling, adding that he has given her divorce papers with consent terms and is awaiting her response.

The other side
Priyadarshini, however, hit back and said, "I haven't kidnapped Prajwal. Some people want to ruin my name and are making these allegations. I am his mother; why would I kidnap him?"

When told about the two witnesses, she retorted, "Why don't they stand in a court of law?" She also claimed she was capable of caring for Prajwal and looking after his education. When asked if Prajwal wanted to be with his father, she deflected the question.

Inspector Khandare of VP Road police station has refused to comment.

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Uncle chases and nabs man trying to kidnap 4-year-old

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