Search for missing trekker uncovers 2 skeletons near Harishchandra Fort

THANE: A search for a missing trekker last week at Harishchandra Fort, 180 km from Mumbai, took a grim turn when rescuers discovered two skeletons, one of which was identified as the missing person's, in the densely forested valley.

- Vinay Dalvi

MUMBAI: A 32-year-old woman from Dadar has been arrested for allegedly selling her 45-day-old girl child to raise money to post bail for her husband, who has been arrested for stealing scrap from railway premises.

Even more disturbing is that this is not an isolated case; it is part of a suspected child trafficking racket in a trail that leads all the way to Karnataka.

Along with the mother of the baby—the infant has been rescued from Karwar in Karnataka—eight others have been arrested.

Police suspect the involvement of doctors in the trafficking racket.

Matunga police had received a complaint from Pramila Pawar, 51, who claimed that her daughter-in-law, Manisha Yadav, 32, had sold her baby girl to some people in Bengaluru.

"We registered a case under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015," said deputy commissioner of police, R Ragasudha of Zone IV.

Police arrested Manisha Yadav, the mother of the infant, along with Sulochana Kamble, 45, who worked as house-help and helped Manisha sell her daughter.

Many arrests followed including Mira Yadav, 40, a nurse; Yogesh Bhoir, 37, a property agent from Sewri; Roshni Ghosh, 34, a marriage broker and resident of Kalyan; Sandhya Rajput, 48, also a marriage broker and resident of Ulhasnagar; Madina Chavan, 44, also a marriage broker and resident of Vadodara; Tainaz Chavan, 19, a house-help from Vadodara; and Baby Tamboli, 50, from Miraj.

All accused have been remanded to police custody till December 19.

"The baby was sold for ₹4 lakh. However, the mother got only ₹1.5 lakh and the remaining sum was taken by middlemen," said a police officer.

The rescuers faced the eerie quiet of the forest as they descended into the 1,800-foot-deep valley near the historic site.