Pune: An 8-month-old baby, abducted from Pune Railway Station during Ganesh immersion festivities, has been found safe after 12 days in Unava, Ahmedabad.

Two individuals, identified as Mohammad Khan Qureshi (27) and Najma Akram Khan Qureshi (25) from Rajasthan, were arrested for the kidnapping.

The child was abducted in the early hours of September 18, during the Ganesh immersion process, when the station was crowded with devotees.

The child’s mother, Pooja Santosh Das (28), along with a friend, was at the station when the accused couple gained her trust and lured the baby away.

Taking advantage of the busy surroundings, the couple fled the scene with the baby, making it difficult for authorities to identify them amid the crowd.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Railway Police immediately formed three special teams to locate the abductors.

A parallel investigation was launched by the Local Crime Branch, focusing on clues such as the suspects' clothing, technical data analysis, and information from informants and eyewitnesses.

The investigation revealed that the suspects traveled to Ahmedabad after fleeing to Swargate. A police team followed the leads and apprehended the kidnappers in Unava, Ahmedabad, on September 29. The baby was rescued unharmed.

During interrogation, the suspects confessed that they kidnapped the child because they were unable to have children of their own.

The rescue operation was led by Additional Superintendent of Police Rohidas Pawar and Senior Police Inspectors Pramod Khopikar and Irfan Shaikh, with significant contributions from Women’s Assistance Police Inspector Shubhangi Narke, Sub-Inspector Swapnil Waghmore, Local Crime Branch Officer Sachin Nazre, and their teams.