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Home > Mumbai > Mumbai News > Article > Mumbai Quick thinking officer saves girl from kidnappers clutches

Mumbai: Quick-thinking officer saves girl from kidnapper’s clutches

Updated on: 12 February,2024 07:07 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Shirish Vaktania | mailbag@mid-day.com

A potential tragedy was averted when Assistant Police Inspector Valbhim Nanavare noticed something amiss on the Sinhagad Express

Mumbai: Quick-thinking officer saves girl from kidnapper’s clutches

(From left) API Valbhim Nanavare, accused Dayanand Sharma, the rescued girl and a woman police officer

Key Highlights

  1. 30-year-old man kidnapped an eight-year-old girl from the Mira Bhayandar area
  2. He lured her with toys outside the school
  3. Assistant police inspector spotted girl, gained her trust, and successfully rescued her

A 30-year-old man, Dayanand Kumar Sharma, who recently came to Mumbai from Bihar, kidnapped an eight-year-old girl from the Mira Bhayandar area. He lured her with toys outside the school. Fortunately, an alert assistant police inspector named Valbhim Nanavare, in civil uniform and en route to Pune on official duty on the Sinhagad Express train, spotted the girl, gained her trust, and successfully rescued her.


A police officer said the incident occurred on Saturday when Nanavare saw the girl in school uniform standing next to a man. Nanavare suspected something amiss as the man was repeatedly giving her toys to keep her happy. “Nanavare noticed the accused Sharma was also force-feeding the girl who kept refusing it. Also, the girl was speaking Marathi while Sharma was speaking in Hindi. Nanavare told the girl to sit in his seat and then inquired about her mother. The girl said her mother was at home. Nanavare then asked the girl if the man travelling with her was her father, to which she replied yes," said a police officer.


“Nanavare's suspicions grew and he began asking about the girl's about her mother's residence, and her contact number. Sharma told the girl not to share any information. Nanavare then gave the girl his mobile phone to play games and showed her a photo of himself in uniform. The girl then asked if he was a policeman, to which he replied yes,” the officer explained.


“Finally, the girl informed Nanavare that the accused was not her father, but she was lured in because the accused gave her toys and promised to take her to a place that kept lots of toys. The girl could not remember her parents' number but provided her maternal uncle's number, who was then contacted and he informed the parents. The parents informed Nanavare that they had filed a missing-person report at Naigaon police station when their daughter did not return home from school,” the officer added. The victim and the accused have been handed over to the Lohmarg police station in Pune. The accused has been arrested and handed over to the Naigaon police for further investigation.

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