Thane: Man arrested for kidnapping 8-year-old

The boy was arrested last month in Bhiwandi taluka. (Representational Image)

A 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly kidnapping an eight-year-old boy last month, police said. The child is a resident of Kasne village in Bhiwandi taluka and his parents had lodged a complaint of kidnapping at Padgha police station immediately after he went missing on July 26, the police said.

“The accused, identified as Yashwant Dhobi, was known to the family. Both of them went missing on the same day. So, we first started looking for him and eventually, found the boy,” said an officer privy to the case.

“The boy told us that he was playing near his house when the accused told him that he would take him to a relative’s house. Instead, he took the boy out of the village,” the officer said.

The police found the boy and the accused inside a forest near Nashik, sources said. “The accused has been taken in custody. Dhobi has told the police he kidnapped the boy as he was fond of children and had no other motive. We are seeking medical help to find out if he is mentally stable. Medical test of the victim will also be conducted to find out if he was sexually assaulted. He doesn’t seem to have external injuries but is traumatised,” an officer said.