Gujarat: Divorcee kidnaps ‘daughter-like’ girl, rescued from Morbi

RAJKOT: Distressed over his divorce and more so that the custody of his children was given to their mother, Manoj Mohania (22), a native of Madhya Pradesh had kidnapped a one-and-a-half-year-old girl child from Morbi town on July 18. However, seven days after the incident the minor was rescued in Jabal village in Savarkundla taluka of Amreli district on Saturday night.
According to police, complainant and father of the kidnapped girl, Mukesh Bodel, a native of MP, has been working in a ceramic unit located on Lakhdhirpur road in Morbi town along with his wife Asha, for the past few months.
Accused Manoj, also from MP, approached Bodel searching for a job. Bodel helped him get some work in his ceramic unit.
“Manoj lived adjacent to Bodel and his family and would often play with their daughter.
On July 18, the accused took the child with him but did not return home till late in the night, following which Asha lodged a complaint of kidnapping with the Morbi police.
“Police teams’ search in various towns of Saurashtra and GIDCs went in vain. Later, they traced the location of the accused in Jabal village in Amreli on Saturday evening and could detain him and recover the child,” sources said.
“Primary probe reveals that Manoj got divorced from his wife recently and was distressed that his wife got custody of their to children, including a daughter. He liked Bodel’s baby girl very much and often saw his own daughter in that girl. He, therefore, thought of kidnapping the girl and take care of her. Whenever Manoj went, he told people that she was his daughter,” police said.