Kidnapped one-year old girl rescued, couple arrested

Surat: A year-old girl who was kidnapped from Mahidharpura area of the city on Saturday last was rescued on Monday from Jolva village about 20km from here by the city crime branch police.
The police arrested Rita alias Rekha Vasava (32) and her husband Manish alias Bako for kidnapping the toddler. The couple told police that they did not have a child so they kidnapped the girl.
“Rita suffered a miscarriage a few years ago and since then she has not been able to conceive. She desperately wanted a child hence she kidnapped the girl,” said police. The couple wanted to raise the child and had no intention of selling her, police added.
The toddler’s family lived on a footpath in Ruwala Tekra of Mahidharpura area. The Vasava couple too lived nearby. The accused used to play with the toddler often.
On Saturday, when the girl’s mother went to work she asked Rita to keep watch on her daughter. When she returned, the girl was missing. She lodged a complaint with the police. The cops identified the accused from the CCTV footage and traced her to Jolva village.